ESPN

NORRIDGE, Ill. -- Chicago Curie senior power forward Cliff Alexander, ESPN’s No. 2-ranked prospect, said Sunday he has eliminated Kentucky from his list of schools.

“They just stopped communicating with me,” said Alexander during the Mac Irvin Back to School Jam at Ridgewood High School on Sunday. “It’s surprising. I haven’t talked to [Kentucky coach John Calipari] in I don’t know how long. I’m somewhat [disappointed,] but hey it’s a business. You do what you have to do.”

Alexander, a 6-foot-8, 240-pound power forward, said all the other schools he named in a top-10 list in June are still in play. His list included Arizona, Baylor, DePaul, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisville, Memphis and Michigan State.

Alexander said he’s considering Connecticut and Oregon because they are also recruiting Huntington Prep senior point guard JaQuan Lyle, who is ranked No. 22 by ESPN. Alexander and Lyle have recently discussed attending the same school. Lyle recently decommitted from Louisville.

Alexander has made official visits to Arizona and DePaul. He will also make official visits to Kansas on Oct. 4, Memphis on Oct. 18 and Illinois on Oct. 26. He said he might take an unofficial visit to Michigan State.

Alexander said he expects to commit in mid-December and sign his letter of intent in the spring.

Alexander said DePaul and Illinois are among his finalists because he’s interested in playing in state and in the direction the programs are headed.

DePaul’s recent recruiting efforts in Chicago have helped their standing with Alexander. He said he’d like to play with former Chicago Public League players Billy Garrett, Tommy Hamilton, Rashaun Stimage and Myke Henry.

“I love [DePaul] coach Oliver Purnell,” Alexander said. “He’s a great guy. He’s built a great relationship with my mom. We had a fun time. I’m really considering them. It helps a lot playing with Tommy, Myke, Billy and Rashaun. I know those guys.”

Alexander said he also feel comfortable with the Illini’s coaching staff and players.

“Coach [John] Groce since he got the job, he’s been communicating with me well,” Alexander said. “My mom loves him, that whole coaching staff. I’ve been down there a few times and just hanging with the guy.

Although he recruited Derrick Rose and Anthony Davis from Chicago, Kentucky coach John Calipari remarked in December that he didn’t have a whole lot experience recruiting players from the area.

That is quickly changing.

Calipari has been after Simeon forward Jabari Parker, the nation’s No. 1 senior, and Whitney Young center Jahlil Okafor, the nation’s No. 2 junior, over the past year. And now he has added Curie center Cliff Alexander, the No. 10 junior, to the mix. Alexander, who is 6-foot-9 and 240 pounds, added an offer from Kentucky on Tuesday, according to Reggie Rose, who runs the D Rose All-Stars.

“I think Kentucky is one of his dream schools,” said Reggie, who handled his younger brother Derrick’s recruitment. “I’m pretty sure he’s excited. At the same time, when I talk to Cliff, I tell him when Derrick was in high school his dream school was North Carolina, and he went to Memphis. It’s about what is your best fit.”

Reggie Rose believes Alexander can be a good fit for Kentucky because of his mobility as a big man, and he can get up and down the court in Kentucky’s fast-paced offense. In comparison, Reggie Rose believes a big man like Okafor is a better fit for Michigan State because the Spartans can utilize him in their half-court offense.

“I think Okafor is a great talent,” Rose said. “Different programs fit different players. I think Okafor would be a better player at Michigan State than at Kentucky. I think Cliff would be a better player at Kentucky than at Michigan State.”

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo likely would disagree. Izzo has been recruiting Alexander throughout his high school career and has been in Chicago often to see him.

Illinois also has made its interests known, and Alexander recently made an unofficial visit to its campus. DePaul, Indiana, Ohio State and Wisconsin, among others, also are recruiting Alexander.

Despite all of the schools after Alexander, Rose said he hasn’t spoken with him about recruiting, and they wouldn’t get serious about it until after his junior season in high school.

“To be honest, I don’t really sit down and talk about the schools,” Rose said. “He took an unofficial to Illinois, but we haven’t gotten into a top 3, top 5 schools. I’ll let him play his high school junior season, and we’ll start seeing the possibility of where the best fit is and where his head is. I like the kids to make a decision before their senior years.”

Alexander is nursing an ankle injury and sat out the D Rose All-Stars’ first July tournament. Rose said he likely won’t play this week either.

The sight of Kentucky coach John Calipari sitting courtside at a Chicago high school basketball game isn't usually good news for other programs.

Calipari's presence means he wants a Chicago player, and lately he's been getting what he wants in Chicago.

"I really haven't recruited a ton of kids here," Calipari said prior to Thursday's game between Simeon and Whitney Young at UIC. "I've recruited some. The two I really recruited and really wanted were Derrick [Rose] and Anthony Davis, and they turned out to be terrific players.

"The crazy thing for me is the two I have had, there's a good chance they're both going to be No. 1 picks in the NBA Draft after one year."

It's probably as good of a recruiting pitch for a Chicago player as there is in college basketball right now. Rose is currently the face of Chicago, and Davis, a Kentucky freshman, is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2012 draft.

Calipari undoubtedly won't forget to mention his recent successes when he's recruiting his current Chicago targets -- Simeon 6-8 forward Jabari Parker, the nation's top-ranked junior, and Whitney Young 6-10 center Jahlil Okafor, who is ranked third in the Class of 2014.

With Thursday's crowd including Calipari, Rose and Davis, Parker had 15 points, nine rebounds and four blocks, and Okafor had 20 points, nine rebounds and three blocks.

For probable one-and-done type players like Parker and Okafor, what they're looking for in a college program is somewhere they have a shot at winning a national championship and will boost their NBA stock right away.

Calipari can sell that right now. He's had six first-round picks in the last two years, and Kentucky is coming off a Final Four appearance and is among the favorites to win this year's national title.

"[Recruits are attracted to Calipari] because kids get an opportunity to go play at Kentucky, and the way he's prepared kids for the NBA," said Mac Irvin Fire club coach Mike Irvin, who coaches Parker and Okafor. "That's every kid's dream. He does a hell of a job getting players ready for the NBA."

Sonny Parker, Jabari's father, also believed Calipari benefits from being sort of a basketball celebrity. He attracted plenty of attention at UIC on Thursday.

"He is a signature name -- Coach Cal, Coach K," Sonny Parker said. "They've been exposed to him a lot. He has a certain kind of persona about him. Everybody knows he was there. He gets that to his advantage."

Of course, Calipari showing up in Chicago doesn't automatically translate to Parker and Okafor committing to Kentucky.

"When you have players like Jabari, Anthony Davis and Derrick Rose, they want to be recruited by all the top teams," Sonny Parker said. "Everybody's got to put their work in. You hear it when they say they're out-working each other to get a certain player. That's the thing they got to do."