Twitter/Thon Maker
Thon Maker is one of the biggest prizes of the Class of 2016, but Kentucky may have given up on him while another team continues its efforts.
The Kentucky Wildcats, specifically head coach John Calipari, are known for going after the biggest fish in the recruiting classes. That's why it's quite a surprise that they may have loosened the reins on recruiting Thon Maker, a seven-foot talent that many would consider as a "game-changer."
While universities are hot on his recruiting trail, the Wildcats seem to have toned shifter the attention. Indystar asked Maker himself on whether he has talked with Kentucky.
"Uh, I don't know," the unassuming player from Sudan replied."I think so. I'm not in contact with the coaches. They're in contact with my coach, so you'd have to ask him."
The "coach" he is referring to is Ed Smith, also his guardian. He did say that there were efforts from the Wildcats, and they actually have a shot.
"Yeah, (the Cats) have a shot at him, because they're a good program," Smith replied. "It all depends on recruiting."
He added: "The proof is in the pudding. You can see they're always getting talent and always going far in the tournament. And they've won a few. So they're a great program."
However, it seems like Calipari may have diverted their attention somewhere else. It was noted that during the recent Under Armour Finals, Calipari and his assistants were not in attendance in Thon Maker's games.
The article noted that rumors were abuzz that Kentucky may have caught on the notion that Maker might just stay in Canada until next year and not play college basketball at all.
John Calipari has declared that he wants 2016 to be "his best recruiting class ever" and he still has most of the top recruits on his radar like Harry Giles, Josh Jackson, Malik Monk and Dennis Smith, Jr. He might not want to waste time on a talent that has a slim chance of heading their way.
In contrast, the Indiana Hoosiers are all in on Thon Maker. The Hoosier reps were "front and center" in all of Maker's games (which Coach Cal missed) and Ed Smith admitted in another Indystar article that Indiana, along with Arizona State were "the most consistent."
Indiana assistant coach Chuck Martin is the "point man" for Thon Maker's recruitment and Smith remarked that he likes Indiana's plan for his ward: "I deal mostly with (assistant coach) Chuck and Chuck says mid-year or next year (fall 2016) is all good and they have a plan in place for for (Maker)."
