Reclassification talk, Kentucky frontcourt needs (and more basketball recruiting notes)
As more top basketball recruits in the 2020 class make their college decisions and fewer impact targets remain uncommitted for next season, attention increasingly turns to the top prospects currently in the 2021 class.
More specifically, the spotlight will be on those high-level 2021 recruits who might reclassify and jump to college later this year. And there are plenty.
Earlier this week, Rivals.com national analyst Corey Evans compiled a breakdown of seven highly touted high school juniors that continue to be linked to reclassification. The top name on that list was Jonathan Kuminga, the versatile 6-foot-8 forward from Congo and undisputed No. 1 player in the 2021 class.
Kuminga — currently a junior at The Patrick School (N.J.), the alma mater of UK center Nick Richards — hasn’t commented much on his future plans, but he is widely expected to play out the upcoming Nike travel season and then reclassify to 2020 this summer.
Such a move would make him the most coveted college prospect in the country for next season, and Kentucky is a school that has long been linked to his recruitment. Kuminga was the first player in the 2021 class to land a UK scholarship offer, and John Calipari has kept a close eye on him during this high school season.
In his write-up on Kuminga’s recruitment, Evans said to “keep an eye on” four schools: Auburn, Louisiana State, Nebraska and Texas Tech, where Kuminga’s brother, Joel Ntambwe, is currently a junior on the basketball team.
Auburn, LSU and Texas Tech have all been consistently mentioned as legitimate contenders for Kuminga’s commitment. Nebraska’s inclusion — and UK’s omission — was somewhat of a surprise. Evans explained in an interview with the Herald-Leader later in the week.
“They’re in there,” he said of the Cornhuskers. “I’m not saying Jon Kuminga’s going to Nebraska. I’d be very surprised — and I think everyone else would be surprised — if he goes to Nebraska. But they’re investing their time in him, and they have some ties back to that area and with Jon’s group. But I wouldn’t define them as a leader or among the leaders.”
So, what about Kentucky?
“I don’t see him going there in 2020,” Evans said. “If it goes 2021, I think it’s more of a legitimate option for him. But, if he reclassifies, I could see one of Auburn or LSU or Texas Tech snagging him.”
Latest on Moussa Cisse
Jonathan Kuminga would be a tremendous pickup for Kentucky, but the 6-8 forward who will probably want to play primarily on the perimeter in college wouldn’t fill the Wildcats’ most likely area of need: the post.
UK will lose Nate Sestina off of this season’s team, and starting center Nick Richards is likely to leave for the NBA Draft. If EJ Montgomery follows — or even if he comes back — the Cats will need at least one more player for the frontcourt to play alongside incoming power forwards Isaiah Jackson and Lance Ware.
Moussa Cisse — a 6-10 center who already holds a UK scholarship offer — mentioned Kentucky prominently in his discussions with reporters at the Basketball Without Borders camp in Chicago last weekend. Ranked No. 9 nationally in the 2021 class by 247Sports, Cisse is averaging 19.7 points, 15.3 rebounds and 9.2 blocks a game this season. He has a 7-4 wingspan, and national analyst Evan Daniels this week called him “arguably the top defensive prospect in high school basketball.”
The Herald-Leader was told this week that Cisse will almost certainly reclassify to 2020 and that he genuinely likes UK’s program and wants to win at the next level. If he does make that move, he could help fill the seeming need for more frontcourt firepower on next season’s Wildcats’ roster. However — while not counting Kentucky out as a possible destination — the Herald-Leader was also told that Florida State, Louisiana State and Memphis might be the three teams with the best shot at his commitment at this stage in the recruitment.
Cisse moved from Guinea to the United States in 2016 and last summer transferred from his Queens, N.Y., high school to Memphis, where he’s playing this season and has drawn multiple visits from John Calipari and other UK coaches.
Like Kuminga, he is expected to play out the Nike spring/summer season before making any kind of reclassification decision or college commitment.
No reclass for Paolo Banchero
A star 2021 recruit who won’t be reclassifying is Paolo Banchero, arguably Kentucky’s top target in that class and currently the No. 2 overall junior nationally, according to Rivals.com.
Another visit to Seattle last week by John Calipari rekindled reclassification talk surrounding the 6-10 forward, but Banchero has shot down such rumors at every turn and seems to be tiring — rightfully so — of all the speculation about the subject.
“Thought I already clarified whether I was reclassing or not,” he tweeted Wednesday night.
The Herald-Leader was told after Calipari’s most recent visit that there was “no chance” he would move to the 2020 class, and the continued efforts by Kentucky are simply an indication of how important he is to the Cats’ 2021 recruiting class.
One reason Banchero will stick in the 2021 class is that it’s actually the class he’s supposed to be in. Most of the top recruits who “reclassify” are actually moving back to the class that corresponds to their age, as opposed to “moving up” a year.
To put in perspective just how young a reclassified Banchero would be compared to the rest of college basketball next season, some numbers:
Banchero doesn’t turn 18 years old until November. UK signee Lance Ware turned 19 this month, UK signee Cam’ron Fletcher turns 19 in July, and UK signee Terrence Clarke turns 19 in September — so all three of those players are more than a full year older than Banchero.
Kentucky signee Brandon Boston turns 19 a couple of weeks after Banchero turns 18, while UK signee Isaiah Jackson is 10 months older than Banchero and the Wildcats’ youngest signee, Devin Askew, is four months older than Banchero.
Only two Kentucky signees in the past five recruiting classes — Kevin Knox and Sacha Killeya-Jones — have been younger than Askew, relative to their respective classes.
And out of 65 total high school recruits in the Calipari era, only one — Australia native Isaac Humphries — would be younger than Banchero if he reclassified. Humphries was 17 when he began his UK career and turned 18 years old Jan. 5 during his freshman season at Kentucky.
Now would be a good time for UK fans who have been hoping for a Banchero reclassification to turn the page.
New NCAA transfer proposal
So if UK misses out on Moussa Cisse, and Paolo Banchero stays put in the 2021 class, what other options would the Cats have to fill the frontcourt gap next season? There are many.
Five-star power forward Greg Brown still has the Cats among his finalists, though the 6-9 prospect is looking for an offensive fit that allows him to play away from the basket. UK is still in the mix for four-star center Cliff Omoruyi — a seemingly perfect fit for the Cats’ needs — but Arizona State and local option Rutgers are getting more buzz for him lately.
There will probably be other instant-impact reclassification options that pop up in the coming months, and the most likely route might be another look at the graduate transfer market, which has brought Reid Travis and Nate Sestina to UK over the past two seasons.
A more traditional transfer might also be an option.
The NCAA announced this week that it’s looking at a tweak to its policy on transfers that would allow players to switch schools and compete immediately for their new team without having to sit out a season.
An NCAA spokeswoman confirmed to the Herald-Leader on Thursday that — if the concept is approved — it could go into effect as early as next season. In that case, a player that is currently competing for another college basketball team this season could theoretically transfer to UK and play right away during the 2020-21 season.
The current proposal would allow the immediate eligibility if four core principles are met: the player must receive a transfer release from their previous school; the player must leave their previous school academically eligible; the player must maintain their academic progress at the new school; and the player must leave under no disciplinary suspension.
Obviously, the changes to the current transfer rule would need to be adopted by the NCAA in time for next season, something that could happen as early as April. And UK Coach John Calipari — who has criticized various transfer rules in the past — would have to be comfortable enough with such a change in time to take immediate action if there’s a player that could fill a need for the Cats next season.
But, in theory — and even though it might be a long shot — this is another way that Kentucky could add to its 2020-21 roster.
