After visiting Louisville over the weekend, 2013 combo forward [B]Jordan Mickey [/B]of Grace Prep (Tex.) took an unofficial to Kentucky on Monday.
Mickey, a long forward with a great upside, is ranked highly according to all the national scouting services.
Following the visit, Mickey and his father, James Wright, spoke with NOB about their visit.
“Overall, the visit was really, really good,” Wright began Monday evening. “Coach [John] Calipari explained a lot about his coaching philosophy, and Coach Orlando [Antigua] did a great job leading the tour for us.”
The father and son arrived right as the Dominican team was concluding their practice; however, they both had a chance to interact with the players and coaches.
“We started our tour right after the practice ended, and one of the first things Coach Orlando mentioned was academics. He showed us Kentucky’s engineering department because that is something Jordan is really looking to go into. We were very impressed by Kentucky’s academic accolades, especially with the way the players have fared academically the past few years.”
Many people have been impressed with the way Calipari handles his program and players. The one-and-done method is very popular, but he never guarantees anything to the players, and that really stood out for the family.
“Coach Calipari told us he doesn’t make any promises to his players. Everyone has their opportunities to start or earn playing time. We also like his player development, and, obviously, the one-and-dones are impressive,” Wright explained.
“I really like how Coach Calipari doesn’t hold his players back from accomplishing their dreams,” Mickey added.
With approximately 30-40 official scholarship offers right now, Mickey’s camp is looking to cut their list down soon. During the month of June, they will take many visits to see campuses first-hand.
“We are definitely going to have a short-list by the end of July. We are just trying to get out and see all the schools,” Wright said.
They plan to visit Ohio State later in the week, and on their trip to the NBPA Top 100 Camp in Virginia, they plan to drop by West Virginia’s campus.
Despite the outrageous amount of offers, UK has yet to extend an offer to Mickey. However, it could come soon.
“Coach Calipari has told me he will evaluate Jordan in July. He doesn’t have an official offer, but I think it is just a matter of seeing him play on more of a consistent basis. He was impressed with him this past year at the City of Palms, but the main thing is just seeing him more.”
When asked if Kentucky would make the short-list right now even without the offer, Wright responded with:
“Kentucky would most definitely be on the short-list. We would be crazy not to have them. It’s a great program.”
Expect Kentucky to be very involved with Mickey over the next few months.
