UK’s freshmen are off to a rough start. How are Cats’ past recruiting targets doing?
Kentucky is off to a 1-5 start to the season, and its freshmen are largely struggling.
Top 10 national recruits Brandon Boston and Terrence Clarke have yet to find their footing as college basketball players. Point guard Devin Askew lost his spot in the starting lineup after just a few games (though he’s looked a lot better in UK’s past two losses). Cam’Ron Fletcher is currently away from the team — at John Calipari’s request — after an emotional outburst on the bench in the final moments of last weekend’s loss to North Carolina.
Things obviously aren’t going well for this No. 1-ranked recruiting class.
UK’s problems this season almost certainly wouldn’t have been completely solved by other new faces. No one who has played for this Kentucky team so far played a minute as a Wildcat last season. More time and patience will be needed for this squad of newcomers.
There were, however, several other players on UK’s recruiting radar in the 2020 cycle. How would the Cats be doing if some of those prospects made different decisions? We’ll never know, but here’s how Kentucky’s top former targets are doing at their schools of choice.
The star recruits
Cade Cunningham — the 6-foot-7 point guard and No. 1 recruit in the 2020 class — hasn’t done anything to diminish his standing as the most likely No. 1 pick in next year’s NBA Draft after eight games at Oklahoma State. Cunningham, who visited UK for Big Blue Madness last fall and almost picked the Wildcats over the Cowboys, is averaging 19.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game — shooting 36.7 percent from three-point range — for Oklahoma State, which is off to a 6-2 start, with a pair of one-possession losses to Big 12 foes Texas and TCU.
Scottie Barnes — the No. 7 recruit in the 2020 class — was actually the first player in that group to receive a UK scholarship offer. Barnes — a versatile 6-9 guard — is averaging 10.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 27.2 minutes per game for Florida State, which has a 5-1 record and is ranked No. 21 nationally.
Greg Brown — a 6-9 forward from Austin — chose to stick in his hometown and play for Texas, and he’s impressed for the Longhorns in recent games. Brown, who was ranked No. 9 overall in the 2020 class, is averaging 12.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots in 20.5 minutes per game for Texas, which is 7-1 this season and ranked No. 10 in the country. Brown dealt with some foul trouble and poor shooting in early games — but he’s averaged 20.5 points and 12.0 rebounds over the Longhorns’ past two games. UK will host Texas in Rupp Arena on Jan. 30.
Moussa Cisse — the No. 10 player in the 2020 rankings — stayed in Memphis after moving to the city during high school and is averaging 7.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots in 19.0 minutes per game for Penny Hardaway’s Tigers, who are off to a 5-4 start to the season following a 56-49 loss to Tulsa on Monday night. Cisse — a 6-10 center — is No. 69 overall in ESPN’s latest rankings for the 2021 draft.
Others with Kentucky offers
UK appeared to be a serious player for Cliff Omoruyi — the No. 48 recruit in 2020 — but the 6-11 center decided to stay in his adopted home state and play for Rutgers, where he’s averaging 5.3 points and 5.8 rebounds and shooting 72.2 percent on field goals in 18.5 minutes per game. No. 11 Rutgers is off to a 6-0 start — with wins over Illinois, Maryland and Syracuse — and the Scarlet Knights were to play Ohio State on Wednesday afternoon.
Duke’s Jalen Johnson — ranked No. 13 overall in 2020 — was one of the first recipients of a UK scholarship offer, and he was off to a good start with the Blue Devils (11.5 points, 8.3 rebounds in 23.8 minutes per game) but hasn’t played since Dec. 8 due to injury.
Auburn’s Sharife Cooper — the first point guard in the 2020 class to get a UK offer — hasn’t played at all this season due to an ongoing NCAA inquiry into his eligibility.
Howard’s Makur Maker, who was linked to Kentucky and made waves by choosing a historically black university over some high-major programs, played in just two games before being shut down due to injury.
Others of note
At one time, Arizona State’s Josh Christopher was on the list of players with UK scholarship offers. The Cats moved on after getting early commitments from Boston and Clarke, and Christopher — ranked No. 12 in the 2020 class — is averaging 16.9 points and 4.6 rebounds in 28.4 minutes per game for the Sun Devils, who are off to a 4-3 start with two of those losses coming to ranked teams.
Dawson Garcia — a 6-11 combo forward ranked No. 36 nationally in 2020 — was scouted but never offered by Kentucky, and he’s averaging 13.1 points and 6.6 rebounds in 29.0 minutes per game at Marquette, which is off to a 5-4 start and plays Villanova on Wednesday night. Garcia, a floor-stretching player in high school, is shooting 36.4 percent from three-point range.
Frank Anselem, a lightly touted post prospect linked to UK during its offseason search for a big man — before the Cats landed Olivier Sarr — ended up at Syracuse (6-1) and is averaging 1.5 points and 1.3 rebounds per game, appearing in only four of the Orange’s seven contests so far. He was viewed as more of a long-term prospect out of high school.
Before getting a commitment from Sarr, the Cats were also strongly linked to Purdue transfer Matt Haarms, who at the time was the country’s No. 1 grad transfer recruit. Haarms, who was billed as a uniquely versatile 7-3 forward, ended up at Brigham Young (8-2) and is averaging 10.5 points and 3.9 rebounds in 22.5 minutes per game for the Cougars. He’s shooting just 2-for-17 from three-point range.
Kentucky kids
North Oldham guard Justin Powell was the No. 173 overall recruit in the country for the 2020 class — and No. 3 in the state of Kentucky — but he’s become an instant-impact player as an Auburn freshman. Powell is averaging 13.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists — all team highs — and shooting 51.4 percent from three-point range in 27.8 minutes per game for the Tigers, who have won five straight games after early-season losses to Gonzaga and Central Florida. UK showed some recruiting interest in Powell last year, but the Cats didn’t appear close to offering a scholarship before he committed to Auburn.
Bardstown forward JJ Traynor — the No. 1 recruit in the state; No. 126 overall for 2020 — also got some UK recruiting attention (but no scholarship offer) before committing to Louisville. Traynor was seen as more of a long-term prospect, but he’s been an early contributor for the Cardinals, averaging 7.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per game. Louisville is 5-1 to start the season and defeated Pittsburgh on Tuesday night after a team pause related to COVID-19. U of L hosts Kentucky on Saturday afternoon.
Collins guard Dayvion McKnight — the reigning Kentucky Mr. Basketball and No. 4 recruit from the state in 2020 — is getting quality playing time as a freshman for a good Western Kentucky team. McKnight is averaging 6.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals in 21.0 minutes per game for the Hilltoppers, who are 7-2. McKnight was never seriously linked to UK as a recruit and signed with WKU before his senior season began.
