What Will Kentucky Do With That Open Scholarship?

With today's decision by Jodie Meeks to stay in the NBA Draft, the Kentucky Wildcats, once capable of fielding the numbers of a football team, are now one below their scholarship limit of 13. With an open scholarship, there are many theories being developed on how John Calipari will choose to use it.

Here are some of the theories that are being circulated around the Bluegrass state this afternoon and evening:

1. The Chinese Theory: Some feel that Calipari, fresh off his tour of China, has discovered a hot prospect in the Far East. The UK coach has stated that he will bring at least one and maybe several Chinese coaches to the United States for an opportunity to be a part of the Kentucky staff. Is it possible that he has also found a talented shooter to replace Jodie Meeks?

2. Calipari Will Do Nothing At All: A very realistic possibility is that Calipari will simply do nothing and just play this 2009-10 season with 12 scholarship players. If he chose to do this, he would have an additional scholarship for the 2010 recruiting class.

3. The Lance Stephenson Theory: Believe it or not, there has been many UK fans wondering if Calipari will now go after the infamous Lance Stephenson. Stephenson is ranked 11th on the Rivals150 list and is considered a New York high school legend. He is a very talented player, but he also comes with a load of negative baggage - ranging from legal issues to being a selfish player.

4. The Continuing Saga of Xavier Henry: In the recruiting story that just won't go away, there are some that continue stating that Xavier Henry is not happy in Kansas and could potentially look elsewhere. With Meeks leaving, some feel that Henry would be happy to jet out of Lawrence and head to Lexington.

5. The Feel-Good Theory: The story I heard late tonight was the idea of offering the scholarship to Michael Porter and allowing him to re-join the team for his senior season - not because he would be a superstar, but because he has earned it.

My Thoughts: These are all rumors and I suppose at least a couple of them are possibilities, but I am going to guess that Calipari saves the scholarship for a 2010 recruit.