Julius Randle
Julius Randle leads the best group of freshman in college basketball. http://ksrcollege.com

Five-star recruit Andrew Wiggins announced on Tuesday his intention to play for Kansas in 2013. The high school senior, who many have called the best prospect since LeBron James, committed to the Jayhawks over Florida State, North Carolina and Kentucky.

Kentucky may have missed out on the No.1 high school player, but the club will be just fine next season. Even without landing Wiggins, head coach John Calipari landed the best recruiting class in the country.

According to both scout.com and rivals.com, six of the Wildcats incoming freshmen are five-star recruits. Four are widely considered to be among the top 10 recruits in all of college basketball

The Wildcats 2013 class is so strong that they are the favorites to win the 2014 national title, even after missing the NCAA tournament this past season. They are the only team that is considered to have a better chance of cutting down the nets than Wiggins and Kansas.

How good are Kentucky’s incoming freshmen? Below is a brief scouting report of each five-star recruit.

Julius Randle

Other than Wiggins, Randle might be the best incoming freshman in this year’s class. At 6’9 and 240 pounds, the power forward will be very tough for opponents to handle in the low post. He’s also a terrific rebounder and could be a part of a dominant Kentucky frontcourt.

Aaron Harrison

In his first year, Harrison can immediately step in and be one of the best shooting guards in the SEC. He can shoot from long distance and his size will help him get to the basket more easily than most who play his position.

Andrew Harrison

Joining his twin brother in the Kentucky backcourt, he’ll help give the Wildcats their best one-two punch at guard since John Wall and Eric Bledsoe. Being the same size as his brother, it’ll be extremely rare for him to face a point guard that has his length. He needs to improve his jump shot, but he may not be asked to do too much scoring on this team.

Marcus Lee

The power forward put up incredible stats in his final high school season, averaging 17.9 points, 19.2 rebounds and 6.9 blocks per game. He relies on his tremendous athleticism, but needs to add some weight to his 220-pound frame. He’s got a lot of ability, but might find trouble getting a lot of minutes on such a stacked roster.

James Young

The incoming freshman had a complete game in high school, registering 26.4 points, 14.2 rebounds and more than five assists a game in the 2012-2013 season. His versatility will allow Calipari to play him at both shooting guard and small forward, where he could start right away.

Dakari Johnson

Coming from Montverde Academy in Florida, Johnson is the best center in the 2013 class. He isn’t gifted with the most athleticism, but he’s an elite rebounder and good low post scorer. Few teams will be able to match up with him inside, and playing in the frontcourt with Randle will allow Kentucky to utilize his strengths.

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