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Cats on recruits' short list

Two of the prospects considered by rivals.com to be among the nation's three best in the high school class of 2009 have Kentucky on their short list.

The recruiting service suggested a commitment could come as soon Wednesday by DeMarcus Cousins, a big man in Mobile, Ala. He originally committed to Memphis, but now seems poised to follow John Calipari to Kentucky.

"Kentucky's very much on his mind," said Otis Hughley, Cousins' coach at John LeFlore High in Mobile. "But I don't want to say before I know."

Cousins, who rivals.com ranks No. 2 in the class, has Kentucky at the top of his list "with a lot of questions," said Hughley, who declined to identify the questions.

The player ranked third best in the class, guard Xavier Henry, signed with Memphis. He got a release from the school after Calipari left.

Now the player will try to decide between Kansas (his father's alma mater) and Kentucky.

The decision may hinge on older brother C.J. Henry's basketball future, the players' father, Carl Henry, said.

C.J. walked on at Memphis last season. His college education is being paid for by the New York Yankees, who drafted him in baseball. The Henrys are waiting to see if C.J. must sit out a season as a transfer or be immediately eligible at a second school because he was a walk-on.

If C.J. must sit out a season as a transfer, he will remain at Memphis, his father said. If he can be eligible immediately, he will go with Xavier to either Kansas or Kentucky.

"They're kind of waiting on us," Carl Henry said of UK and Kansas.

That wait might stretch to two weeks, he said. That's because Xavier will be playing in all-star games this weekend in Oregon and next week in New York.

Kentucky remains a possibility for the No. 1 player on rivals' list. That's point guard John Wall.

Ferguson re-opens

Dominique Ferguson, the most highly-touted of the underclassmen committed to Kentucky, has re-opened his recruitment. But he noted that UK had a chance to regain his commitment.

"Yeah, they still do," Ferguson said. "Yeah, they're still on my list."

Ferguson, a top 10 national prospect in the high school class of 2010, originally committed to UK when Billy Gillispie was coach.

Kentucky will have plenty of potential competitors in the recruiting race.

"I have a lot of people calling me," Ferguson said in a soft-spoken voice. "I still have new people calling me every day."

When asked how he felt about a second dose of the recruiting process, Ferguson said, "I like the attention, but I know it's starting to get old real soon. I'll try to hold out as long as I can."

Ferguson, a 6-7 forward from Indianapolis, said he hoped to make his college choice by the end of the summer."

Zollo: wait and see

Vinny Zollo, who committed to UK during the Gillispie era, said he has not heard from Calipari.

Zollo, who played for Clark County last season, said he expected to be evaluated by the new UK coaching staff during the summer.

This wait-and-see approach did not bother him, Zollo said. "When I do receive word, I think it'll be fine," he said.

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