Put your Randle speculation here...

[Osiris_DPM]

In reality both Florida and UK have very good shots here, and a lot will depend on who commits to UK in this class before Julius makes his decision. There are some heavy hitters recruiting this kid for both programs, and Florida currently has the advantage of its committed elite recruits Chris Walker and Kasey Hill (and even future elite Florida recruits like Joel Berry), who Randle is friends with and respects as elite players, doing a lot of recruiting as well. Do not underestimate what goes on behind the scenes, or assume that Florida does not have its own very influential presences behind the scenes to compete with the other big programs.

Interestingly, the discussion in the other thread about Chris Walker's brashness and attention-seeking behavior, is just the kind of thing that feeds into this type of recruiting. Chris's self-promotion and chest-pumping proclamations that the National Championship necessarily runs through Gainesville in 2014 en route to a one-and-done lottery selection is getting Julius's attention, and he is definitely game to play with Kasey and Chris (they have talked about it for some time) to win an NCAA Tourney Championship. The 2013-2014 UF roster definitely has the talent and personnel to cut down the nets, the coaching to develop NBA talent (which Julius experienced first hand this summer), and the star-power to showcase one-and-done talent.

We can thank Brad Beal for proving that last one. As great as it would have been to have him back, that #3 selection by a kid that was not projected to be a one-and-done player going into the year gave the coaches all sorts of recruiting cred, legitimizing not only the exposure at UF, but the coaching as well. Because of that, a kid like Chris Walker, who has every intention to be a one-and-done, was not affected by the type of negative recruiting that swayed some of the one-and-done kids in recent past. The addition of those kids, along with the transfers, to the core of the returning roster means the 2013-2014 squad has the potential to be the most talented roster top-to-bottom that has ever suited up for UF.

So yes, all of that is weighing in favor of UF, giving the Gators a very real shot. It's just that there are factors that are strong pulls for the other schools on his list as well. This isn't an easy decision for him precisely because he is considering all of those things, and the "best" place to go in order to 1) develop as a player, 2) win a title, 3) have fun, and 4) become a one-and-done lottery selection takes some thought and investigation by a recruit these days. Now that other schools are getting on board with the one-and-done thing and demonstrating success, UK is not the "default" destination for those types anymore as it seemed they were in the recent years under Calipari (although certainly still very attractive for that goal).

[don23lucia]

This will be a huge weekend for the Gator's has anyone heard if Walker or Hill will be at the game as well?

[tampajack1]

Originally Posted by Osiris_DPM

In reality both Florida and UK have very good shots here, and a lot will depend on who commits to UK in this class before Julius makes his decision. There are some heavy hitters recruiting this kid for both programs, and Florida currently has the advantage of its committed elite recruits Chris Walker and Kasey Hill (and even future elite Florida recruits like Joel Berry), who Randle is friends with and respects as elite players, doing a lot of recruiting as well. Do not underestimate what goes on behind the scenes, or assume that Florida does not have its own very influential presences behind the scenes to compete with the other big programs.

Interestingly, the discussion in the other thread about Chris Walker's brashness and attention-seeking behavior, is just the kind of thing that feeds into this type of recruiting. Chris's self-promotion and chest-pumping proclamations that the National Championship necessarily runs through Gainesville in 2014 en route to a one-and-done lottery selection is getting Julius's attention, and he is definitely game to play with Kasey and Chris (they have talked about it for some time) to win an NCAA Tourney Championship. The 2013-2014 UF roster definitely has the talent and personnel to cut down the nets, the coaching to develop NBA talent (which Julius experienced first hand this summer), and the star-power to showcase one-and-done talent.

We can thank Brad Beal for proving that last one. As great as it would have been to have him back, that #3 selection by a kid that was not projected to be a one-and-done player going into the year gave the coaches all sorts of recruiting cred, legitimizing not only the exposure at UF, but the coaching as well. Because of that, a kid like Chris Walker, who has every intention to be a one-and-done, was not affected by the type of negative recruiting that swayed some of the one-and-done kids in recent past. The addition of those kids, along with the transfers, to the core of the returning roster means the 2013-2014 squad has the potential to be the most talented roster top-to-bottom that has ever suited up for UF.

So yes, all of that is weighing in favor of UF, giving the Gators a very real shot. It's just that there are factors that are strong pulls for the other schools on his list as well. This isn't an easy decision for him precisely because he is considering all of those things, and the "best" place to go in order to 1) develop as a player, 2) win a title, 3) have fun, and 4) become a one-and-done lottery selection takes some thought and investigation by a recruit these days. Now that other schools are getting on board with the one-and-done thing and demonstrating success, UK is not the "default" destination for those types anymore as it seemed they were in the recent years under Calipari (although certainly still very attractive for that goal).

This is one of the better posts that I have read in a while.

[REM08]

Originally Posted by tampajack1

This is one of the better posts that I have read in a while.

I agree. I think too few Florida fans realize the implications of Beals one year.

[jeffphillips21]

and the fact that he came in ranked and (draft) projected lower than his actual draft pick, makes BD look good. Shows he can develop that kind of talent and take to the next level (and beyond)