The Tyran Stokes saga was painfully similar to Caleb Wilson for Kentucky
A familiar script that left Kentucky in bad shape.
Everyone loves Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal. They are the undisputed gold standard of sports television, well, NBA television. But for Kentucky Basketball fans, seeing the iconic Inside the NBA crew pop up on their screens during a recruiting announcement is quickly becoming a nightmare.
Twice within the past year, Kentucky fans have had to watch recruits who were once thought to be Wildcat leans end up picking a blue-blood rival instead. Heartbreak Part 1: Caleb Wilson The painful trend started with Caleb Wilson. For months, Kentucky fans tracked every twist and turn of his exhausting, drawn-out recruiting process.
At multiple points, the Wildcats were widely considered the heavy favorites to land the dynamic forward. But near the end, the writing was on the wall; he wasn’t going to Kentucky. When it finally came time to make his decision, Wilson opted for the brightest lights possible.
He went on national television, sat down with the Inside the NBA crew, and committed to the North Carolina Tar Heels. Almost everyone knew it was coming, but it still sucked. Heartbreak Part 2: Tyran Stokes Lightning doesn’t usually strike twice, unless you are Mark Pope, apparently.