What’s next for Kentucky recruiting after Banchero’s surprising commitment to Duke?
The world of college basketball recruiting never fails to surprise, and Kentucky was on the wrong end of a stunner Thursday evening.
Paolo Banchero — long seen as the top player on UK’s 2021 recruiting board and arguably the No. 1 prospect nationally in the class — announced his commitment to the Duke Blue Devils.
The destination itself wasn’t necessarily a shocker. The timing was.
Despite some recent momentum (seemingly) in Tennessee’s direction following last week’s commitment of Kennedy Chandler — a close friend of Banchero’s and the No. 1 point guard in the 2021 class — Rivals.com national analyst Corey Evans told the Herald-Leader on Wednesday night that Duke was right there in the mix, as was Kentucky.
But no announcement was thought to be imminent, and it turns out Banchero — a 6-foot-10 power forward from Seattle — was further along in the process than previously thought.
There’s no understating the recruiting victory Duke landed with Banchero’s commitment. Evans on Thursday called it “the biggest recruiting win of the year.” The Blue Devils already had a commitment from A.J. Griffin, the No. 6 player in the 2021 rankings.
Banchero gives Duke two top-10 commitments, and counting.
247Sports ranks Minnesota 7-footer Chet Holmgren as the No. 1 player in the 2021 class, but 247 national analyst Jerry Meyer told the Herald-Leader this week that he was seriously considering Banchero for that spot, saying he was torn between the powerful forward and Holmgren for the No. 1 ranking.
“I would say this: If you look at it in terms of, ‘What do I get on day one?’ — I think you definitely go Paolo there,” Meyer said. “He’s ready to play right now. … The powerful athleticism that is accompanied with a really high skill level and competitiveness and feel for the game makes Paolo a very, very intriguing prospect.”
MaxPreps.com named Banchero the national junior of the year after he averaged 22.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots per game. Last summer, he earned MVP honors at the NBPA Top 100 Camp despite being one of the youngest players in attendance.
The UK coaching staff was present for that event, and Banchero landed a scholarship offer from the Wildcats later in the summer. Last fall, UK Coach John Calipari traveled to Seattle for his first meeting with the star recruit. Calipari took multiple trips to the West Coast to visit with Banchero and his family over the next few months, spending as much time personally recruiting the talented forward as any Kentucky target in recent years.
In the end, Banchero picked Duke over fellow finalists UK, Tennessee, Arizona, Gonzaga and Washington, his hometown school.
Under normal circumstances, Banchero probably would have taken additional recruiting visits to each of the schools on his list this summer and fall. That was not possible due to the NCAA’s ban on recruiting travel related to COVID-19. That ban is currently set through the end of next month, but it is expected to ultimately be extended through the end of 2020 and could last into next year.
“I think kids are starting to give up hope about taking visits, and I think some of them are just becoming exhausted by the recruiting process,” Evans told the Herald-Leader this week. “So if they have a sense of where they want to go, and there’s a little bit of prodding there, they’re going to do it.”
Rivals.com ranks Banchero as the No. 2 prospect in the class, behind only Patrick Baldwin Jr., another major Duke and Kentucky target. The Blue Devils have also been viewed as the favorites in Baldwin’s recruitment.
What’s next for Kentucky?
The recent commitments of Banchero and Chandler leave only two 2021 prospects with UK scholarship offers: shooting guard Jaden Hardy and Baldwin, a small forward who prefers to play on the perimeter.
As far as future frontcourt help goes, there are no recruits in the 2021 class who can match what Banchero would have brought to the Wildcats from day one.
That doesn’t mean UK is without options.
Calipari has extended a scholarship offer to Tennessee native Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, a versatile 6-9 player who is currently in the 2022 class but is widely expected to reclassify to 2021 and play college basketball next season.
Huntley-Hatfield — also a family friend of former UK player Alex Poythress — visited UK for the Wildcats’ rivalry game against Louisville last December and is ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 5 overall prospect in the 2022 class. Kentucky is seen as the favorite.
Class of 2021 power forward Jabari Smith — listed by Rivals at No. 4 in the 2021 rankings — hosted UK for a school visit previously in his recruitment but has not been tied to the Wildcats in recent months. Kentucky has also been linked to five-star center Efton Reid — the No. 24 player in the 2021 rankings — though there hasn’t been much recent chatter surrounding the Wildcats in his recruitment, either.
It’s almost certain that some new names will emerge in Kentucky’s 2021 frontcourt search.
One possibility could be Texas big man Daimion Collins, who is ranked No. 20 by Rivals.com and has been heavily recruited by Texas Longhorns assistant coach Jai Lucas, who is expected to join UK’s basketball staff in a non-coaching role in the near future.
The Cats should also return some frontcourt talent from this season’s team.
Though there has been one-and-done talk related to incoming freshman Isaiah Jackson, neither he nor fellow 6-9 power forward recruit Lance Ware is projected to go in the 2021 NBA Draft. They could both be back for their sophomore seasons next year.
Rhode Island transfer Jacob Toppin — a high-upside 6-8 forward and the younger brother of former Dayton star Obi Toppin — decided to join Kentucky’s program in the spring and will sit out the 2020-21 season before making his debut for the Wildcats’ next year.
This story was originally published August 20, 2020 at 5:50 PM.
