[Tomcat68]

Dude, give me a break..

Chris Lofton - NR (Not ranked-no star recruit) Not recruited by Kentucky or Louisville...Tennessee got a diamond in the rough there..Nobody could have ever predicted he was going to do that...So get over that...

However Tubby got the following in last years class:

Rajon Rondo: 5 Star PG, 5th Ranked PG of class....
Randolph Morris: 5 Star C, 2nd Ranked C of class...
Joe Crawford: 5 Star SG/F, 2nd Ranked SG of class...
Ramel Bradley: 3 Star SG, 20th Ranked SG of class...
Patrick Sparks: Proven SG out of Western Kentucky that most would have loved to have at the time...

Where exactly would Lofton fit in, with three 5 Star recruits, a highly ranked 3 star, and a high profile transfer? This was a top 10 class for Kentucky and Lofton wasn't even a ranked player...Tubby would have taken him, but had no schollies to offer him...Looks like a top notch recruiting class for Tubby here is it not?

Which proves my point. Tubby isn't a good recruiter or scout of talent. Did he sign a lot of high profile kids? Yes. But, would you consider any of those players at, or even close, to what they were projected? Rondo is possibly, but none of the others are even close. The great coaches are usually capable of seperating the players and contenders out of the bunch efficiently. Tubby has been able to sign high profile kids, of which, 3 of the 5 haven't been nearly the impact player as suggested. I'll give Rondo and Morris credit. They've been very good and solid players when they haven't made bad decisions. Ramel I would consider a total bust. He just hasn't been very consistent in his game at all. He is sometimes a great spark to the team, but also has been a liability. Crawford I can see being a prolific scorer in time and with some polishing, but being ranked #2 at his position, I'd still call him a semi bust to this point, but I think he has the ability to climb the ladder back up. Sparks has shown flash in the pan skills to be very good, but is entirely too streaky. Would you consider what they've accomplished to be that of a top notch recruting class? Recruiting is not only what they are projected, and the talent they MAY possess, but also the ability to get that talent out of the players during the game.

Also, hypothetically, lets say that Tubby has been recruting top notch classes over the last few years. If you have top notch recruits, and you are hypothetically a top notch coach, why doesn't UK have a top notch program this season. Yes, they lost a key player to the draft early, and they've had the Morris situation, but top tier coaches are able to overcome these situations.

Roy Williams is in a slightly similar situation to Tubby. He took over a great team in his first year and won a National Championship. But then, he was put into a much worse situation than Tubby has ever faced, he lost his top 7 scorers, many leaving early for the NBA. Yet he was able to hold his team together and actually has them considered a top 25 team in the country despite his poor situation.

So to answer one of your questions, No it's not a top notch recruiting class. Being a highly rated player doesn't mean much when a coach isn't able to determine whether the player actually has that talent or not, or undercoaches them.

And to answer the other one:
Anyone who would have taken a serious look at Lofton would have seen that he was a prolific, and consistent 3 point shooter in highschool. That alone, he should have been considered before Sparks streakiness. Granted Sparks had the collegiate experience, but this is also a double edged sword. Sparks only had 2 years left since he was a transfer, and Lofton would have had 4. Additionally, Lofton's size, explosiveness, and play making ability would have made him a better selection than Sparks. The only strong advantage Sparks had was his ability to make assists, and run the point which would let Rondo move to the other guard position.

Sparks advantages:
College experience
Assists
Ability to run the point

Lofton advantages:
4 years of eligibility as opposed to 2 years for Sparks
Height
Speed
Jumping
3 point shooting
Consistency

So to answer your other question, I would see him fitting in quite nicely in the recruting process ahead of Sparks.