A dream roster coming together for Kentucky (and other basketball recruiting notes)
The upcoming college basketball season has yet to begin, but the latest round of NBA Draft and recruiting predictions warrant a look at what might come next for John Calipari’s Kentucky program.
In addition to updating its 2020 NBA Draft rankings last week, ESPN posted a new (admittedly, very early) mock draft for 2021. It included two incoming UK players in the lottery range — Brandon Boston Jr. at No. 6 and Terrence Clarke at No. 10 — but no other Wildcats in the 60-player draft.
Couple those projections with the current recruiting consensus, and Calipari could be sitting on one of his most interesting — and experienced — rosters for the 2021-22 campaign.
Again, it’s obviously early, but here’s how the expert predictions for next season are playing out as UK’s coaches try to navigate the uncertainty of the current recruiting landscape while preparing this year’s squad for an uncertain college basketball season:
▪ Kentucky will lose incoming transfers Davion Mintz and Olivier Sarr after this season. (Sarr has said he won’t sit out a year if the NCAA rules against his transfer waiver). The Cats are also almost certain to lose Boston and Clarke to the NBA Draft.
▪ That would leave six active scholarship players from this season’s team: point guard Devin Askew, wings Dontaie Allen, Keion Brooks and Cam’Ron Fletcher, and power forwards Isaiah Jackson and Lance Ware. It’s possible one or more of those players could outplay his current NBA projection, make a jump to the pros even if not projected as a draft pick, or transfer somewhere else after this season, but — for the sake of this exercise — let’s say they’re all back in Lexington this time next year.
▪ Kentucky will also return high-upside forward Jacob Toppin, who transferred into the program from Rhode Island this year and will practice with the team as he sits out the upcoming season in anticipation of a UK debut in 2021-22.
▪ Both the 247Sports Crystal Ball and Rivals FutureCast projections count UK as the favorites for top-five recruits Paolo Banchero and Jaden Hardy, as well as five-star class of 2022 recruits Skyy Clark and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield. (Rivals national analyst Corey Evans tells the Herald-Leader he expects both of those players to ultimately reclassify to 2021).
Add it all up, and that’s 11 scholarship players for the 2021-22 season. It’s also a well-rounded group heavy on both incoming talent and experience.
Such a roster would feature Askew — in year two as UK’s point guard — alongside combo guard Clark and super scorer Hardy in the backcourt. (Those three players are big enough, versatile enough, and unselfish enough to play together in spurts).
That wing group would feature Brooks, Allen and Fletcher as returning players, with Banchero, Huntley-Hatfield, Jackson and Ware playing the forward positions.
There’s no traditional center in that mix, but there’s plenty of versatility, rebounding ability, and athleticism around the rim.
Recent years of roster turnover have told us this probably won’t be UK’s roster going into next season, but it’s never too early to look ahead in recruiting, and this is what the current projections have in store for the Wildcats. (If unforeseen defections occur, the Cats could always revisit the transfer route next spring).
It’s an interesting group to consider as we wait for answers on what will happen with the 2020-21 college basketball season.
Kentucky frontcourt duo?
Rivals.com national analyst Corey Evans has told the Herald-Leader in the past that he thinks Paolo Banchero and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield — both 6-9, pushing 6-10 with college-ready bodies — would fit well together in the same frontcourt (assuming Huntley-Hatfield does actually reclassify to 2021).
Why?
“It’s always nice when you have two big men that can play in and out. That have a feel for the game. That have some ball skills,” Evans said last week. “I think, for Brandon’s sake, it wouldn’t demand as much from him from the get-go, if he was to reclassify up. Paolo is probably the most surefire, five-star recruit ready to produce in college. We just knew that Isaiah Stewart was going to be a monster in college. And we know that Paolo is going to be a monster producer in college. That would take a lot off Brandon’s shoulders in the long run. He can kind of work his way into the mix there without having the pressure of being a 16 and 8 guy right out of the gate.”
Evans also said that Huntley-Hatfield still seems to be searching for his identity as a player. He has the look of someone who could do major damage around the basket, though he often plays from the outside in. Banchero, on the other hand, appears totally comfortable with his game and could be a double-double threat every time he steps on the floor in college.
Comparing Banchero’s approach to former UK guard Tyrese Maxey and incoming guard Devin Askew, Evans said others — especially Huntley-Hatfield — could benefit from playing alongside such a player every day.
“Those guys aren’t 17-, 18-year-old kids,” he said. “Their habits are professional habits and a professional mindset. And that’s only going to make others around them better. And having someone like Paolo, I think it’s a positive for whoever might be next to him — whether it’s Brandon Huntley-Hatfield or Isaiah Jackson or Lance Ware.
“I think it definitely helps those guys develop.”
G League Watch
ESPN’s early look at the 2021 NBA Draft projected three players that chose to go the G League path in lottery range — No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green, No. 4 overall pick Jonathan Kuminga, and No. 12 overall pick Daishen Nix — as well as fellow G Leaguer Isaiah Todd in the No. 48 spot. (The other G League commitment, Kai Sotto, was not included in the 60-player mock draft).
Keep an eye on such projections as the season progresses and next year’s draft nears.
This first group of blue-chip prospects to choose the G League’s revamped, pay-for-play route will be closely watched in college and high school basketball circles.
If things work out well and these players meet or exceed current draft projections, it’s likely that others will follow their path in future recruiting cycles. If their stock falls over the next several months, it could lead top recruits to question that path’s viability.
The G League route has already been mentioned as a possibility for top UK target Jaden Hardy, who is friends with Green and will probably be getting feedback from him over the next few months. The Herald-Leader has been told over the past several weeks that this pro path is also being considered and closely watched by other star players in the 2021 class. Its impact on college basketball and future recruiting classes will be interesting to follow.
Trey Kaufman’s recruitment
One of the most recent editions of Rivals.com’s “Ranking the Contenders” series featured Trey Kaufman, a highly skilled forward from Sellersburg, Ind., and a player that received some early recruiting interest from Kentucky.
Rivals ranked Indiana as the favorite for Kaufman, with North Carolina, Virginia, Purdue and Louisville, in that order, rounding out the top five.
UNC extended a scholarship offer to Kaufman — a 6-foot-8 prospect and the No. 39 player in the 2021 rankings — late last month, prompting new speculation as to whether Kentucky or other top programs might follow suit.
It’s sounding unlikely, however, that Kaufman will land a UK scholarship offer, especially if he plans on making a college decision anytime soon.
Brandon Boston Jr.
Kentucky’s top-ranked incoming recruit has been called a few different things in print over the past year or so. Brandon Boston. BJ Boston. Brandon “BJ” Boston.
The Herald-Leader was told recently that he will officially be referred to as Brandon Boston Jr. while at UK, so get used to it. You’ll be hearing that name a lot over the course of the season.
This story was originally published August 7, 2020 at 7:34 AM.
