Rick Pitino played his college basketball at the University of Massachusetts, and years later he went on to recommend John Calipari for the head coaching job there.
So the UK coach has done his fair share of good things for the basketball program at UMass. But now Pitino is raiding his old alma mater's recruiting grounds, trying to close in on a sweep of Massachusetts' two best high school basketball players.
Pitino has an oral commitment from the Massachusetts player of the year, point guard Wayne Turner, who already has signed his letter of intent.
Now Pitino is hoping to land another big catch from Massachusetts, 6-foot-11 center Randell Jackson from the Winchendon School.
And how's this for a bonus - Jackson and Turner are childhood chums.
"Old friends," Jackson's coach, Scott Spinelli, said of the McDonald's All-Americans. "They grew up in the same area. They're pretty decent friends, I would say."
The friendship doesn't necessarily put UK in the driver's seat for landing Jackson, though. Spinelli said his star is his own man, and will make his own decision.
"He's not going to do something just because Wayne did it," Spinelli said. "It's not a package deal."
The wiry Jackson, whom recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons calls "a Marcus Camby clone," in reference to UMass' shot-blocking sophomore, averaged 23.7 points and 11.4 rebounds this season. He has a list of five prospective schools: UK, North Carolina, Connecticut, Maryland and Florida State.
If Spinelli has his way, though, the Wildcats and Tarheels will battle it out for Jackson.
"When you've got teams like Kentucky and North Carolina, you'd have to give those two very strong consideration," Spinelli said. "Those are two of the premier programs in all of basketball in terms of competitiveness, tradition, facilities, fan support - everything."
Jackson, who has not yet met NCAA academic standards for freshman eligibility, has visited all five schools. He'll get an extra look at UK fans when he plays in the Derby Festival Classic all-star game in Louisville on April 29.
Those fans could be an advantage for UK, Spinelli said. And believe it or not, so could Pitino's run-and-gun style, which many see as a hindrance in recruiting big men.
"Face it, every big man these days wants to be a guard anyway, so that system could be more of a positive affect than anything," said Spinelli, who doesn't expect Jackson to sign until the last day of the signing period next month.
"Coach Pitino has coached at a lot of different levels, and I think Randell is the kind of guy who is looking at an opportunity at the next level."
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