In what ended up being a surprise move, Dez Wells balked on transferring to Kentucky.
John Calipari’s put together a strong enough resume during his tenure in Lexington that it’s become an assumption: if he wants a kid, he’s getting that kid. Wells made an official visit to the campus, but due to class scheduling issues, no immediate decision meant that Kentucky was out of the running.
As is Ohio State, who had originally scheduled a visit for the transfer from Xavier but ended up canceling.
What that means is there are now three schools still pursuing Wells: Memphis, Maryland and Oregon. And, if you’ll believe what the Washington Post is reporting, the Terps could be the frontrunners:“I credit Maryland, they really got his spirits up,” the source said. “It was a blessing to me to hear. It started out a rough week for him. He went through Kentucky, Memphis, but Maryland was the first time I heard the excitement back in his voice.”
The source said he heard from Wells “every two hours” via text while the former top-tier recruit was at Maryland, but never received a message during Wells’s Oregon visit, aside from when he touched down at the airport.
This alone, the source said, could offer a clue into the ultimate decision.
“Just by his excitement,” the source said. “If I had to bet the house on it, I would be betting in the blind, I would have to say, my gut, I know how he felt, sounds like possibly Maryland.”
Wells was expelled by Xavier, but the expulsion has come under quite a bit of scrutiny over the last week as news came out that a grand jury declined to press charges. The prosecutor in the case went on the radio and railed against Xavier’s judiciary process.
Wherever he ends up, expect the school to make a strong push to get a waiver for Wells to be eligible immediately.
Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @robdauster.