Kentucky could be on the verge of its second basketball commitment for the 2021 class
Another major step in Kentucky’s roster-building efforts for next year’s basketball season could be on the horizon.
Four-star wing player Bryce Hopkins — a 6-foot-6-ish prospect from the Chicago area — is expected to make a college decision next week, and recruiting experts have come to the consensus that UK is the clear favorite.
The Wildcats first extended Hopkins a scholarship offer in August, a couple of weeks after the class of 2021 standout backed off of a monthslong commitment to rival Louisville. It was expected at the time of the UK offer that Hopkins would make a commitment to the Cats in short order. The process has gone on a little longer than originally anticipated, but a final announcement regarding Hopkins’ recruitment is expected this month, and UK is clearly the favorite in the eyes of those making public predictions.
New 247Sports national analyst Eric Bossi put in a pick in favor of the Wildcats on Hopkins’ Crystal Ball page Monday night, one of the first predictions Bossi has made since coming over from Rivals.com this fall.
Bossi also reported Tuesday that Hopkins will reveal his college choice Oct. 20.
247Sports analyst Travis Branham, who covers recruiting nationally for the website, also made a prediction in Kentucky’s favor Monday night. Over the weekend, 247Sports analysts Brandon Jenkins and Dushawn London made pro-UK predictions on Hopkins’ page. Back in August — around the time of Kentucky’s offer to Hopkins — national experts Jerry Meyer and Brian Snow put in predictions in favor of the Cats, and neither analyst has backed off those picks.
The latest flurry of pro-Kentucky projections on the Crystal Ball comes as Hopkins gets set to reveal his college decision, a sign that this will be the last wave of picks before an official announcement.
Obviously, that’s good news for Kentucky.
The top competition at this point appears to be Illinois, Indiana and Providence, though Hopkins still has several other schools on his list of finalists.
As of now, UK’s only other commitment for the 2021 class is Seattle point guard Nolan Hickman, who is the No. 43 overall player in the group, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
Hopkins is No. 30 on that list.
He averaged 24 points, 10 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game last season and had his high school team in the Illinois state tournament before the event was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.
Standing at 6-6 with a 7-foot wingspan, Hopkins has the ability to play inside or away from the basket, and he could provide that kind of grit that John Calipari likes in his players, especially as a rebounder and on defense.
Before leaving the recruiting world for a job as an NBA scout this summer, former Rivals.com national analyst Corey Evans told the Herald-Leader that Hopkins should be an instant-impact player at a place like Kentucky.
”From the college end, he’s an immediate contributor at the highest level,” he said.
This story was originally published October 13, 2020 at 11:07 AM.
