Crystal Ball checkup: Predictions for 2020’s top remaining basketball recruits
A recent round of rankings updates made it even more clear that few instant-impact options remain in the 2020 class for Kentucky, which is still expected to add a basketball player or two in the current recruiting cycle.
The latest 247Sports composite rankings include just five players in the top 40 nationally that have yet to reveal their plans for next season. Only eight players in the top 60 remain uncommitted, and a total of 11 of the country’s top 100 recruits are still available.
Kentucky, which has already signed six players for next season, is not seen as the current favorite for any of those uncommitted recruits, though the Wildcats have extended scholarship offers to two of them and remain somewhat in the mix for at least two others.
With just nine scholarship players on the current roster, and the likely departure of several of those following this season, the Cats are almost certain to add someone in the next few months.
Here’s a periodic update of the “Crystal Ball” status for every remaining top-100 recruit in the 2020 class, along with some additional notes on other possibilities for UK in this cycle:
Five-star recruits
Only five players among the nation’s top 40 remain uncommitted for next season, and they’re all currently in the top 12 of the 247Sports composite rankings.
No. 3 overall recruit Jalen Green — a former Kentucky target — has been adamant in recent weeks that he will play college basketball next season, shooting down a longstanding notion that he might opt to play professionally overseas ahead of the 2021 NBA Draft. Memphis surpassed Oregon earlier this season as Green’s Crystal Ball favorite, and Rivals.com national analysts Eric Bossi and Corey Evans have also put in predictions in favor of the Tigers.
No. 5 overall recruit Ziaire Williams — like Green, a perimeter player from California — is widely expected to stay on the West Coast, and Southern Cal has the most recent picks from national analysts on his Crystal Ball page. Bossi also logged a prediction in favor of USC this week.
No. 9 overall recruit Greg Brown — a 6-foot-9 power forward from Austin, Texas — is Kentucky’s highest-rated option to close out the 2020 class, and the Cats are still fighting Auburn, Memphis, Michigan and Texas for his commitment. Brown will take his final official visit to Michigan this weekend and a college decision is expected in the spring. Texas was long seen as the favorite in his recruitment — and the Longhorns still lead in the Crystal Ball — but Rivals analysts Bossi and Evans have both logged predictions in favor of Memphis recently. UK is generally seen as trailing those two schools in Brown’s recruitment.
No. 10 overall recruit Josh Christopher — another California perimeter player and former UK target — had been seen as a UCLA lean heading into the season, but national analysts Jerry Meyer, Eric Bossi and Corey Evans have all picked Michigan over the past few weeks.
No. 12 overall recruit Makur Maker — a versatile 7-footer who was once on UK’s radar — would prefer to jump straight to the NBA Draft in 2020, and he’s applied for a waiver to make that move. A decision on that from the NBA is not expected until the spring. If he ends up in college, which seems unlikely, Auburn and Oregon are currently seen as the top options.
And that’s it, as far as available recruits in the top 40 go. It’s important to point out that the vast majority of John Calipari’s commitments come from this range. Over the past five recruiting cycles, only three of Kentucky’s 29 signees have come from outside the 247Sports composite top 40: Jemarl Baker, Dontaie Allen, and current signee Cam’Ron Fletcher, who’s ranked No. 46 in the 2020 class.
Cliff Omoruyi and JT Thor
The next two uncommitted prospects in the 2020 class have both been linked to Kentucky.
No. 41 overall recruit Cliff Omoruyi — a 6-11 center in New Jersey — is considering the Wildcats along with Arizona State, Auburn, Rutgers and UConn. The Sun Devils are the favorites on Omoruyi’s Crystal Ball page (albeit with just four predictions), and Rivals.com’s Corey Evans has also put in an Arizona State pick, though he told the Herald-Leader recently that Kentucky and Rutgers should also be mentioned among Omoruyi’s top tier. He’s not expected to make a college decision anytime soon, and Rivals.com analyst Eric Bossi told the Herald-Leader last week that he knows of no true leader in Omoruyi’s recruitment.
No. 50 overall recruit JT Thor — a 6-9 forward living in Georgia — has bounced around throughout his high school career, with off-and-on interest from UK along the way. Thor still lists the Cats as one of his top choices, though they have not extended a scholarship offer. Oklahoma State is still the unanimous favorite on his Crystal Ball page, and the Georgia Bulldogs will be a program to watch as his recruitment winds down.
Recruiting Kai Sotto
There hasn’t been much Kentucky-related buzz around 7-2 Philippines center Kai Sotto since he took a recruiting visit to Lexington a couple of months ago. Sotto (No. 60 in the 247Sports composite rankings) has also either taken visits to or hosted coaches from Auburn, Boston College, DePaul, Georgia and Georgia Tech, but there’s no clarity on where his recruitment stands or if he’ll even play college basketball. Sotto would likely have several lucrative professional options to choose from starting later this year. There are no Crystal Ball predictions or Rivals.com picks for Sotto, who is living in the Atlanta area.
Rest of the Top 100
Outside of the aforementioned players, there are only three uncommitted prospects in the top 100 for the 2020 class: Georgia point guard Eric Gaines (No. 79), Las Vegas small forward Mwani Wilkinson (No. 90), and Minnesota shooting guard Kerwin Walton (No. 98). Louisiana State is the heavy favorite to land Wilkinson. There are no Crystal Ball predictions for either Gaines or Walton, and neither would likely fit as instant-impact contributors for UK next season.
Other recruits for Kentucky?
It might be more likely at this stage that Kentucky lands someone for next season that is not currently a recruit in the 2020 class. Such an addition could come from a player who reclassifies from 2021, a graduate transfer, or even a last-minute overseas option. It’s also possible (though not as likely) that someone currently signed with another school could reopen his recruitment due to a postseason coaching change, the scenario that led Jemarl Baker to UK a few years ago.
Reclassification and the graduate transfer route remain the most likely of those options.
Jonathan Kuminga, a 6-8 forward and currently the No. 1 player in the 2021 class, is widely expected to jump up a class in the summer, and the Herald-Leader has been told that UK, Duke, LSU and Texas Tech would be his most likely landing spots in college. Another oft-talked-about reclassification candidate is elite power forward Paolo Banchero, though he is expected to stay in the 2021 class. Other options — such as 2021 big men Moussa Cisse, Moussa Diabate and Franck Kepnang, all five-star reclassification candidates — will surely emerge over the next few months.
If Nick Richards and EJ Montgomery end up going pro after this season, Kentucky would likely look more closely at graduate transfers in the frontcourt. The Cats have added Reid Travis and Nate Sestina the past two years, and they just missed on Kerry Blackshear Jr. last summer. Unless UK adds Cliff Omoruyi to its 2020 class, it’s likely to be lacking power in the paint, and a seasoned grad transfer to play alongside more versatile 2020 signees Isaiah Jackson and Lance Ware would be the best bet to alleviate that concern.
This story was originally published February 7, 2020 at 7:45 AM.
