By Tom Hurley

thurley@kykernel.com

UK recruit Julius Randle was ranked No. 1 by Rivals.com last week as he whittled down his list of prospective colleges to 10.

At 6-foot-9 and 225-pounds, Randle may well be the strongest athlete in the 2013 class. His athleticism and work ethic combine to transform him into a powerful offensive juggernaut on the court. Many online highlight videos are filled with him scaring the living daylights out of defenders as he powers towards the rim.

“He is an extremely tough guard for other people because he’s so versatile,” said Randle’s high-school coach, Chris Mayberry.

The high school senior uses his imposing frame to attack the basket with authority and has evolved into one of the best rebounders in high school basketball.

While his strong body and powerful step are good starting traits, what makes college coaches across the nation drool even more is his desire to win and high basketball IQ, with excellent court vision for a player in his position.

His skill set, work rate and desire to win make Randle sound like every school’s dream, but his coach knows Randle isn’t the finished product just yet.

“I’m gonna keep on pushing him,” Mayberry said. “He can score about every time he touches the ball, but he’s gotta realize that he’ll be double and triple teamed a lot,” he said.

Ball distribution, leadership, concentration on defense and taking his already impressive rebounding to ‘the next level’ are what Mayberry plans on helping Randle improve on over his senior season.

In addition to his Rivals ranking, Randle put himself in the spotlight last weekend by winning the Elite Armour 24 dunk contest with a behind the back slam that wouldn’t have been out of place in a book of poetry.

Being a winner on the court is one thing, but Mayberry was keen to stress his prodigy is a winner off the court too.

“Julius is an unbelievably high character kid. He puts a lot of effort into whatever it is he’s doing.”

While Mayberry wouldn’t be drawn to compare Randle’s basketball skills to any professional players, his description of the young forward’s positive, community- driven demeanor sounds eerily similar to that of Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant.

“Any time you have little kids clinics or anything like that he’s just really great with the kids and just always willing to give that autograph or spend that extra minute. He’s just an awesome kid,” Mayberry said.

UK is among 10 schools included in the list of colleges Randle will receive visits from as he looks to narrow in on which campus he will call home.

UK head coach John Calipari will visit Prestonwood Christian Academy in Texas on Sunday to make his pitch to the talented forward – but what will Mayberry and Randle be looking to learn during the home visits?

“We have a list of questions we’re gonna be asking every coach,” Mayberry said. “I’ll be going through these home visits trying to ask the questions that maybe people wouldn’t ask.”

“Julius is a pretty smart kid and vocal, he’s gonna ask questions that he thinks are important for him to be excited about coming to that university.We’re just trying to figure out what they’re really about and how much they care about their kids,” he said.

If the visit goes well, Randle won’t have long to wait before he gets to check out Lexington himself. The recruit is expected to be in attendance at the UK Alumni game at Rupp Arena Sept. 15.