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Kentucky Basketball Recruiting: John Calipari Pursuing 6 Top-10 Prospects in Class of 2016

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Kentucky head men's basketball coach John Calipari is currently recruiting a majority of the 10 best high school prospects in the class of 2016.

"This year's recruiting class, where we're in the middle of right now, could be one of our best ever," Calipari said in an appearance on the ESPN U podcast Tuesday. "The kids that I'm seeing, that we're involved with, that I feel really good about. This could be our best class ever. And that's a pretty scary statement coming from who we've been able to recruit over the last 25 years."

According to ESPN.com, Calipari is pursuing Harry Giles, Josh Jackson, Dennis Smith Jr., Malik Monk, Kobi Simmons, and Miles Bridges. All six are ranked within the top 10 of ESPN's 100 best prospects in the class of 2016. If Calipari secured commitments from each one, all six would be on the floor for the Wildcats' 2016-2017 season.

What's more is they practically create a five-man starting squad with a sixth man to spare. Giles plays power forward while Jackson and Bridges play small forward and Smith, Monk, and Simmons play either shooting or point guard.

Calipari would have had Jamal Murray in his 2016 class also, but the five-star guard reclassified to the class of 2015. What could be even scarier for the rest of the SEC is if Murray decides to stay a second year when Calipari's 2016 class arrives in Lexington.

"I think he'll come in and be able to score for us," Calipari said of Murray. "You watch that game [against Team USA], you've gotta put the ball in his hands. We knew he was good, we had recruited him, so we knew, we just weren't sure he'd reclassify... If you're a smart kid and you can leave that year early, like Karl Towns, and he ended up being the No. 1 pick. He should've gone back to high school? When you're of the right age and you have the academics, you should do it. That's what we didn't know about Jamal."

(Source: ESPN)

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