By Kentucky Athletics
November 13th, 2005
Kentucky
Basketball Inks Four
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The
Kentucky men’s basketball program signed four of the nation’s top
recruits in the fall signing period, coach Tubby Smith announced Friday.
Guards Derrick Jasper, Jodie Meeks, Michael Porter and power forward Perry
Stevenson comprise the class, ranked 11th in the country by
Rivals.com.
“These are four outstanding student-athletes that we
think satisfy our needs,” Smith said. “When you look at the guys leaving our
program after this year we obviously needed some perimeter help. We’re happy
to have all four of those young men be a part of the program and I know they
are excited to join the Wildcats.”
Jasper is a 6-5, 200 point guard
out of Paso Robles High School in Paso Robles, Calif. Jasper is ranked as
the No. 35 player in the 2006 class and the No. 5 point guard. He was named
San Luis Obispo
Tribune's County Player of the Year after his junior year, a season
highlighted by
21.7 points, 7.1
rebounds and 5.8 assists per game. He was named the MVP of the adidas Super
64 tournament in Las Vegas last summer.
Jasper chose Kentucky over Illlinois, Memphis and Washington.
“Derrick is a very strong big guard,” Smith said. “We
aren’t very big in our backcourt right now, but Derrick will be bigger and
more physical and that’s what we wanted to do.”
Meeks, from Norcross, Ga., is beginning his senior season
at Norcross High School. The 6-4, 197-pound combo guard has been rated 34th
in the Class of 2006 by Rivals.com and the No. 8 shooting guard in the
country this year. He averaged 17.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists for
the Blue Devils as a junior. Meeks chose Kentucky over Alabama and Florida.
“Jodie is another physical player who played football at
one time. He has a great body on him. He can shoot with range and is a very
good defender. I think he fits the style of play we have.”
Porter is a 6-2, 180-pound point guard out of Modesto,
Calif. He plays for Modesto Christian High School, the alma mater of former
Kentucky standout Chuck Hayes. Porter, a highly-touted football recruit as a
defensive back, plays basketball for his father Gary Porter, also Hayes’
high school coach. He averaged 15.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.5 assists for
the 27-7 Crusaders last year.
“Michael was the quarterback of his high school football
team. He is a hard-nosed kid that comes with a lot of character and a lot of
class. He’s a very talented player.”
Stevenson, a 6-9, 190-pound power forward, rounds out the
2006 recruiting class. He’s ranked as the No. 15 power forward in the 2006
class and No. 59 overall this year by Rivals, No. 57 by Prep Stars. The
Lafayette, La., native averaged 13.0 points, 10.0 boards and 10.0 blocks as
a junior at Northside High School. He chose Kentucky over Texas, Texas Tech,
Georgia Tech and LSU.
“Perry has excellent shot-blocking ability, which is
something we have really lacked. He has got Tayshuan Prince-type
shot-blocking ability. He is long and quick off the floor. His athleticism
and speed for a guy his size will make him a very integral part of our
defense.”
