Our Robert Hubbs did not crack the list, but Calipari signed five McDonald's AA to his Kentucky team.
http://www.mcdonaldsallamerican.com/content/dam/allamerican/pdfs/2013FinalTeamRosters2.pdfTwo things:
One, Hubbs was snubbed. He was a top 24 player in three of the four main recruiting services (was 34th in ESPN) and should have made the roster.
Two, Calipari will continue putting his starting lineup together on the recruiting trail as long as the NBA draft eligibility rules remain as they are. He has proven an ability to get Top 10 recruits eligible to get into school, get them in classes that keep them eligible for the one semester of "academic" work they have to do to play in the spring, and get them ready for the NBA draft. He gives them a chance to play together as a high profile team and then make the jump. I don't blame a kid for wanting to play for him at this point because he's the best at what he does.
Now,
what he does is horrible for collegiate athletics. The rule needs to be changed to the baseball rule (jump after high school or commit to three years in college). That would be better for amateurism, better for making coaches accountable for academics, and better for the kids (like Nerlens Noel) who are forced into college and don't need or want to be there.
I give Calipari credit in two ways: (1) He has cultivated his reputation of working with top young talent to the point where I don't think he even has to break rules anymore. I think he has in the past, but at this point his reputation and history draw the top recruits to him. (2) He is probably the best in the business at getting young kids with huge egos to actually play hard and as a team with a short amount of practice time. His teams play hard defense, which tends to not be a defining characteristic of young elite players.
