Kentucky Wildcats early favorites for top hoops player in 2015

Jul 13, 2013; North Augusta, SC, USA; Jackson Tigers player Malik Newman (12) fouls Boo Williams player Marc Evans (11) during the Nike Peach Jam at the Riverview Park Activities Center. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports /

The grind of recruiting in major college basketball is a never-ending one, and Kentucky Wildcats Head Coach John Calipari knows that as much as anyone, and the fact that he embraces it is what makes him the best recruiter on not just college basketball, but arguably in all of college athletics.

Who else can walk up to a 17-year old high school star and say, “Play for me, and you’ll be making millions within the next two years?”

Not many can do that, and with him at the helm of the greatest basketball program in the land, none can offer the certainty of stardom that playing basketball at UK offers.

So while Calipari wraps-up what will likely be another top-2 or 3 class in 2014, he’s already working on getting the best player in the class of 2015.

That being Callaway (Miss.) High School point guard Malik Newman, whom Caliapri

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Newman is the consensus No. 1 player in the class of 2015, and it’s a who’s who of college basketball blue-bloods recruiting him, including Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, Kansas and Florida.

As of now, UK is the favorite to land his services, and 13/13 recruiting analysts predicted as much on 247 Sports.