It can just never be easy...
At the end of last week, it had seemed all but settled that Kyle Wiltjer was set to transfer to Gonzaga. The skilled forward had visited Spokane and numerous sources were saying the Zags were the clear leader for his services. Not so fast, says Kyle's father Greg. Per the Portland Tribune:
"Kyle is still a Kentucky Wildcat," Greg says of Kyle, the former Jesuit High standout who played the past two seasons for John Calipari. "He loves being a Kentucky Wildcat. He's not 100 percent committed to transferring."
....
'Kyle has a great relationship with Calipari, but he's not a stereotypical Calipari player. If he were at Duke or some other place, they'd be running him off screens, but that's not the Kentucky system. And now he has all these thoroughbreds coming in. Kyle's biggest challenge is his body. He needs to get stronger and quicker, to get help with nutrition, strength and agility."
The Wiltjers visited Gonzaga on Wednesday and Thursday, meeting with coach Mark Few and looking over the campus and athletic facilities.
Few and his staff "would very much love to have him," Greg says, "but Kyle hasn't made a commitment that he's going there. He has some specific needs. They'll either get met at Kentucky or one or two other schools."
The humanitarian in me wants to empathize with Wiltjer during this difficult decision but I can't help but find it all a bit annoying. The initial publicity around it was refreshing. The fact that both Wiltjer and Calipari released statements about his 'decision' seemed to be a good idea but as we dig under the covers, I just wonder if this is all a precursor to Witljer's eventual decision to stay at UK and redshirt.
For now, I'd rather focus on the Reid Travis, Josh Perkins, Silas Melson, and the rest of the potential 2014 class. it doesn't sound like this saga is coming close to being over so...buckle up.