Eric Bledsoe, the No. 3 point guard in the Class of 2009, will take a step closer to making his college decision this weekend when he visits
John Calipari’s old and new programs.
“He’s going to Memphis Thursday and then going to Kentucky Saturday,” said
Maurice Ford, Bledsoe’s high school coach at Birmingham (AL) Parker.
Are any other schools in the mix?
“That’s it,” Ford said.
And when will Bledsoe decide?
“Probably toward the end of next week,” Ford said.
The 6-foot, 160-pound Bledsoe averaged 20.4 points, 11.2 rebounds and 10.3 assists in leading Parker to the Class 5A state championship game. The
Thundering Herd beat Kentucky-bound big man
DeMarcus Cousins and
Mobile (AL) LeFlore 52-39 in the semifinals.
“He’ll be a great player,” Ford said. “He’s a true point guard.”
Both programs are in dire need of such a floor general. Kentucky has a front line of
Cousins and
Daniel Orton, and could also return shooting guard
Jodie Meeks and big man
Patrick Patterson. Yet Calipari’s club needs a floor general to propel it into the upper echelon of the college ranks.
The Wildcats are hoping Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God point guard
John Wall picks them, and Bledsoe may be a backup plan in case he ends up at Duke or Baylor or somewhere else. Wall is
due to cut his list sometime this week.
Meantime, despite the losses of Cousins (to Kentucky) and
Xavier Henry (to Kansas)
Josh Pastner’s Memphis club will feature
Shawn Taggart, JUCO star
Will Coleman and 6-10 forward
Angel Garcia in the frontcourt with
Wesley Witherspoon, Roburt Sallie and
Doneal Mack on the wings, making them a formidable outfit.
(Photo courtesy Mark Almond / Birmingham News)
