Ken Davis

College basketball’s summer evaluation period is in full swing. That means coaches are traveling from camp to camp, and running up extraordinary expense accounts, just to make sure they are seen and recognized by the nation’s top recruits.

If the face isn’t familiar, the logo on the shirt usually gets the job done.

It’s the time of year when you can spot coaching rivals sitting together in the bleachers, acting as if they are long lost buddies. Some of those Kodak moments are reality based, while others are for appearance only. Truth is the competitive fires at these destinations are hotter than the Nevada desert during an extended heat wave.

Before the period began last week “Gillispie warnings” had already been issued. Hurricane Billy has been tearing through the recruiting world. The eye of the storm developed over Lexington, Ky., but has grown with such intensity that the outer bands now reach from coast to coast.

Three months into his appointment as Kentucky coach, Gillispie’s acquisition of talent has become college basketball’s hottest story.

“We have hit the ground running,” Gillispie said in a phone conversation before embarking on his summer tour. “We’ve been aggressive in recruiting. And it’s gone really well so far.”

The word is out. Gillispie doesn’t have to tell his peers from the other top programs in the country. Every Internet or newspaper report documenting another commitment to the Wildcats gets the message across.

Billy Clyde Gillispie is on the scene.

And he is serious about restoring the pride to Kentucky basketball. That means winning Southeastern Conference championships. That means winning 30 games a season. That means winning national championships. It all starts with recruiting — and that means building relationships.

Gillispie is making the summer rounds not only to scout talent but also to stay in touch with players who have made long-term commitments to Kentucky. These past three months have allowed the Wildcats to catch up with the latest recruiting trend. Recruits are making oral commitments at young ages. Former Kentucky coach Tubby Smith, who escaped the pressures of the Bluegrass State after last season and headed to Minnesota, never seemed to grasp that concept.

That hasn’t been a problem for Gillispie. He gets it. Six players have either signed a letter of intent or orally committed to Kentucky since Gillispie was hired away from Texas A&M. Three of them are from the class of 2009 or 2010. That means future Wildcat rosters are already taking shape. And Kentucky fans, miserable for so long, are embracing every recruiting triumph with a level of enthusiasm that has been missing from this program for several years now.

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He hasn’t coached a game — let alone won one — but the new coach with the Texas roots is being welcomed like a legitimate Kentucky colonel.

“They really appreciate and enjoy him and they are excited about him being here,” Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart said. “I think they are going to enjoy the things he has to offer as he goes on. They will love the passion and the intensity with which his teams play.”

Gillispie was hired on April 6 and that left him little time to address immediate needs for next season. But he produced the result Kentucky fans had been craving when he signed McDonald’s All-American power forward Patrick Patterson. Around Lexington, the concern had been that Smith would let Patterson slip away to one of the Wildcats’ rivals.

When Gillispie was able to wrestle Patterson away from Billy Donovan and the Florida Gators, it was an extremely good sign for the Kentucky faithful. Alex Legion, a 6-4 guard from Oak Hill Academy, had been Gillispie’s first recruit at Kentucky but Patterson will be remembered as his first big catch.

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