What are Kentucky’s chances with some of the top players in the NCAA transfer portal?
The flood of college basketball players into the NCAA transfer portal isn’t slowing down, with more than 800 names in the pool as of Thursday morning and that number expected to surpass 1,000 in the near future.
Arguably the biggest name on the list so far is Walker Kessler, the 7-foot-1 forward and former five-star recruit who announced this week that he would be leaving North Carolina after just one season.
247Sports national analyst Eric Bossi ranked the top 10 players in the rapidly growing transfer portal this week, and he placed Kessler in the No. 1 spot on his list.
The Georgia native was the No. 22 overall recruit in the 2020 class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings, but he averaged just 4.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game amid a crowded frontcourt that also featured returning big men Garrison Brooks and Armando Bacot, along with fellow five-star freshman Day’Ron Sharpe.
Even though Kentucky’s frontcourt is looking similarly crowded for next season — with Oscar Tshiebwe, Daimion Collins, Jacob Toppin, Lance Ware and Bryce Hopkins expected to be on the roster, along with the possible return of Keion Brooks — the Wildcats immediately popped up as a possible landing spot for Kessler.
A few days removed from the announcement that Kessler planned to transfer, it’s sounding like Kentucky might be on the outside looking in with his recruitment.
Kessler projects as more of a pick-and-pop-style big with an eagerness to prove himself to professional scouts as a player who can play away from the basket, face the rim and stretch the floor. He often was put in more of a traditional role at UNC this past season, shooting only four three-pointers in 254 minutes over 29 games, and it’s likely that he will seek a program that would allow him to play more on the perimeter as he mulls his next college decision.
Gonzaga, which has a history of featuring such players, is already being mentioned as a frontrunner to land Kessler. The Zags are also considered the favorites for No. 1 overall recruit Chet Holmgren, another 7-footer who is looking to play away from the basket in college.
Kentucky appears to be a less likely destination.
Davidson’s Kellan Grady
A more realistic transfer option for the Wildcats might be Davidson star Kellan Grady, a 6-5 shooting guard from Boston who entered his name in the portal Monday.
Grady was ranked by 247Sports as the No. 69 overall recruit in the 2017 class and made an immediate impact at Davidson, averaging 18.0 points per game as a freshman. He’s spent the past four seasons at the school and has scored 2,002 points and made 240 three-pointers over the course of his career. He is No. 3 on 247Sports’ list of the top transfers so far this offseason.
The Herald-Leader was told late this week that Kentucky is indeed a realistic landing spot for Grady, who possesses the proven scoring and shooting ability that was largely missing from the Wildcats’ team this past season.
Grady averaged 17.1 points per game and made 38.2 percent of his three-point attempts as a senior this past season. His 58 made three-pointers in 22 games were two more than UK’s leading outside shooter, Davion Mintz, who made 56 threes in 25 games and shot a similar 37.8 percent from deep. Dontaie Allen was second on the Cats with 31 threes in 22 games, shooting 39.7 percent from outside.
Allen and fellow freshman Devin Askew have indicated that they will be back at Kentucky next season, and the Cats will also bring in highly touted point guard Nolan Hickman.
Mintz could also return for a second season at Kentucky, and he and Grady should be able to complement each other in the backcourt, or Grady could step into a similar perimeter role if Mintz departs.
There’s no timetable for Grady’s transfer decision, though he will have plenty of high-level options.
Justin Powell update
Checking around on Auburn transfer Justin Powell late this week, and there’s not much new to report on his upcoming college decision.
Powell is still taking his time with the transfer process after it came out this month that he would be leaving Auburn after one season at the school. Powell — a 6-6 guard from Prospect, Ky. — is the No. 8 player in the 247Sports transfer rankings and was immediately linked to Kentucky once his name hit the NCAA portal.
UK is still in the mix for Powell, who is planning to get a better feel for the roster situations at the various programs recruiting him before making any final decision on his next destination. As of Thursday afternoon, he had not yet whittled down his list of college options — there are many — and he’ll be looking for a situation where he can play major minutes immediately.
Powell played just 10 games as a freshman before suffering what turned out to be a season-ending concussion in early January, but he was mighty impressive while he was on the court, averaging 11.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists, shooting 44.2 percent from three-point range, and even starting several games at point guard before five-star freshman Sharife Cooper was granted eligibility midway through the season.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if a small group of finalists is announced before Powell is ready to make an actual commitment.
It’s also worth noting that Powell is former AAU teammates and remains close friends with Walker Kessler, though — while both players are now in the NCAA transfer portal — there’s no indication that they’re planning any kind of “package deal” as they look for their next schools.
TyTy Washington to UK?
There are few hotter names on the national recruiting scene than TyTy Washington, a 6-4 point guard from Arizona and a candidate to rise to five-star status when the 2021 rankings get finalized later this year.
It was a surprise to see Kentucky’s name pop up in the No. 2 position in a Rivals.com national story this week predicting the most likely landing spots for Washington. There was some initial contact in that recruitment, but — as of right now — UK is not seen as a realistic option for Washington, who announced last week that he was backing off his commitment to Creighton.
Illinois was the top school listed in the Rivals countdown, and the Illini have been mentioned in recruiting circles as a program with a good shot to land his commitment.
Kentucky, not so much.
That shouldn’t be seen as a sign that UK is swinging and missing on this recruitment, but more an indication that the Cats like what they have coming in with Nolan Hickman, who projects as a high-level college point guard and is expected to possess some perimeter and playmaking abilities that were missing from this past season’s team.
Kentucky also still has high hopes for Devin Askew, who struggled as a freshman but doesn’t turn 19 years old until late July and should have plenty of potential to improve, especially with a more normal offseason and preseason expected later this year.
While UK could still add another player with point guard skills for next season, it’s looking most likely that such an addition would come from the transfer pool and not the 2021 recruiting class.
It’s not just Kentucky
In another reminder that young college basketball players can make perplexing decisions no matter where they go to school, Auburn freshman JT Thor announced this week that he is entering his name in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Thor — a 6-10 forward — was the No. 53 overall recruit in the 2020 class, visited Kentucky as a high school prospect and was at times seen as a possible UK target. He was also held up by UK fans as an example of a player that might be a good multi-year addition to the program.
As a freshman, Thor flashed plenty of potential — including a 24-point performance against UK last month — but he also struggled with consistency, averaging 9.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting less than 30 percent from three-point range (22 of 74).
He’s not ranked among ESPN’s Top 100 prospects for this year’s draft, which will include only 60 total picks, but he’s decided to put his name in the pool nonetheless.
Thor is leaving open the option to return to college — and maybe he’ll actually be back at Auburn next season — but his case is yet another example of the fact that there are no sure things in recruiting.
Kentucky can start looking further down the rankings as it fills out future recruiting classes in hopes of adding some continuity to the program, and it appears the Cats are willing to do that. But the issue of players moving on from college even when their pro prospects remain uncertain isn’t one that’s unique to UK, and — if roster continuity is indeed a point of emphasis — it’s clear there will always be challenges that go along with keeping even the relatively lower-ranked recruits in school for more than one year.
Reed Sheppard Watch
Kentucky fans hoping to see sophomore phenomenon Reed Sheppard in Rupp Arena for next week’s Sweet Sixteen are just two victories away from getting their wish.
Sheppard and North Laurel face Corbin in the 13th Region semifinals Friday night, with the winner of that one advancing to play either Knox Central or Clay County in the finals Saturday night at Corbin Arena.
The sophomore guard had 54 points, eight rebounds and nine assists in a 98-90 victory over Corbin in early February, and North Laurel (24-2) is 11-0 in region play this season. Sheppard — the son of former UK stars Jeff Sheppard and Stacey Reed — is second in the state in scoring with 29.8 points per game, and he’s already caught the recruiting attention of Kentucky, Louisville, Virginia and several other top programs.
The winner of the 13th Region will face the 16th Region champ Thursday at 8 p.m. in the first round of the state tournament in Rupp Arena. Ashland — the team that handed North Laurel its first loss of the season earlier this month — is favored to win the 16th Region final Saturday.
