Five-star basketball recruit Trae Young is ‘really, really high on Kentucky’

Five-star point guard Trae Young will not make a college decision in time to sign during the early period, but Kentucky appears to still be in good position as his recruitment enters its final stages.

Young — a 6-foot-2 prospect from Norman, Okla. — has already completed all five of his official visits to UK, Oklahoma, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech (where his father, Ray Young, was a standout basketball player in the late 1990s).

Ray Young told the Herald-Leader on Tuesday night that Trae is “100 percent” planning to wait until the spring before signing with a school. The early signing period starts Wednesday and goes through Nov. 16.

The elder Young said his son would like to watch the schools that are still left on his list play some games early in the season before making a final decision.

“He’s going to sign late, but he’ll probably commit right after the new year,” he said.

The Young family is also planning to be back in Lexington for an unofficial visit this season. Trae has attended Big Blue Madness the past two years — the most recent one on an official visit — but the family would like to see a game in Rupp Arena.

“We haven’t been to anything but Big Blue Madness, which is not really the same as watching a real game,” Ray Young said. “Trae is really, really high on Kentucky. He and Cal talk every other day.”

Young’s father said John Calipari also keeps his son up to date on everything he’s doing as it relates to UK’s backcourt recruiting for the class of 2017. The Cats have also targeted five-star point guard Quade Green and four-star combo guard Shai Alexander, who will both announce their college decisions next week.

Young, who led Mokan Elite to the Nike Peach Jam title this summer, is the highest-rated of those three players, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

Ray Young said UK’s recruitment of his son will not be negatively affected by the decisions of Green and Alexander, and he pointed out that the Wildcats will need to add several backcourt players — and more than one point guard — from the class of 2017. He said Trae is well aware of that, as well, and wants to play with other talented players in college.

“They’re losing their whole backcourt, so they’re going to need two or three other guards,” he said. “No matter who signs there, that doesn’t affect Trae at all. I certainly want people to understand that. Trae is so confident in his skill and his ability.

“And he wants to play with other great players.”

This story was originally published November 9, 2016 at 11:02 AM with the headline "Five-star basketball recruit Trae Young is ‘really, really high on Kentucky’."