KU not among finalists for No. 3-ranked hoops prospect; PTI’s Wilbon supports Self
Patrick Baldwin, a 6-foot-9 forward who’ll be a senior this fall at Hamilton High in Sussex Wisconsin, has revealed a list of 10 college finalists and it doesn’t include Kansas.
KU, which had been on Baldwin’s original list of schools, did not make the cut Baldwin revealed Saturday night via Twitter. He’s ranked No. 3 in the recruiting class of 2021 by Rivals.com.
Duke remains the heavy favorite to land Baldwin, according to recruiting analysts. The other nine schools include North Carolina, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Virginia, Michigan, Georgetown, UCLA, Northwestern and UW-Milwaukee, where Baldwin’s dad, Pat, is the head coach.
Baldwin, according to the Chicago Tribune, recently held an “in-home visit” with his dad, who’s a native of Leavenworth, Kan., and played at Leavenworth High. The family observed current NCAA prohibitions on face-to-face contact between coaches and recruits by speaking via Zoom: Dad was in an upstairs bedroom, Patrick in the kitchen with his mom.
“He said whether I decide to play for him or not, he will always love me. He really does hope I choose to play for him. You don’t see many coaches’ sons not play for their father,” Patrick Baldwin told the Tribune. “The conference (Horizon League) is a little bit of a drawback, but at the end of the day you know he (dad) will always have my best interests.”
Diggins nets Villanova offer
Rahsool Diggins, a 6-2 senior-to-be point guard from Archbishop Wood Catholic in Warminster, Pennsylvania, who recently was offered a scholarship by KU, has also received a scholarship offer from Villanova.
Diggins, rated the No. 43-ranked prospect in the recruiting class of 2021 by Rivals.com, is a Philadelphia native. He attends the same school as former Nova player Collin Gillespie.
“Look for Diggins to take his recruitment into the fall with visits being made once they are permissible. Earlier this spring, I would have said DePaul and Virginia Tech were the two to beat. They still might be, but Villanova is definitely one to monitor, as is Kansas, Miami, St. Joe’s and UConn,” wrote Corey Evans of Rivals.com.
Kepnang has long list of schools
Franck Kepnang, a 6-11 senior-to-be center from Westtown (Pa.) School, tells Rivals.com he is considering KU, Auburn, Connecticut, Dayton, Georgetown, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Miami, Ohio State, Oregon, Pittsburgh, St. John’s, Stanford, Syracuse, Texas A&M, UCLA, Vanderbilt, Washington and others.
Kepnang, who is originally from Cameroon, is ranked No. 29 in the recruiting class of 2021 by Rivals.com.
“I’m more just enjoying the process so my recruitment is pretty wide open. I’m thankful and blessed so the schools are pretty much at the same level and I’m just taking it in and enjoying it,” he told Rivals.com.
Wilbon takes Self’s side in battle with NCAA
Michael Wilbon of ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption said KU coach Bill Self has nothing to worry about in his program’s NCAA infractions case.
“Self will be coaching Kansas, just like we see in that clip,” Wilbon said after a clip aired during Friday’s TV show.
“The NCAA doesn’t matter anymore. The NCAA has already reached a point of complete irrelevance. It’s not relevant to anything anymore … They have no say anymore,” Wilbon said. “It’s just like a civilian coming out and saying to me, ‘You cant cross Connecticut Avenue. I’m giving you a ticket.’ I would look at him and say, ‘Excuse me, get away from me, I’m not paying any attention to you.’ Bill Self and Kansas will pay I’m sure zero attention to the NCAA, and that’s where the NCAA is right now.”
The show’s co-host, Tony Kornheiser disagreed with Wilbon’s position on the telecast. He brought up the possibility of Self being fired in the wake of the NCAA accusing him of five Level I violations.
“Tony, let’s face it,” Wilbon said, “at schools the size of Kansas, with their athletic royalty over decades, the people who run the school are vested heavily in sports. You know who cares about this story now, Tony? Rivals of Kansas and a few sports writers who are old enough to want to see the status quo maintained. …
“The NCAA is done, Tony. They have no control over anything. Why? Because they botched it time and time again. For decades they botched it... You can’t even hear or see them. They are irrelevant.”
