Another big weekend for Kentucky basketball recruiting is here (and other notes)
For a Kentucky basketball class that’s coming together remarkably early amid a coaching staff overhaul and a staggered return to recruiting normalcy, this coming weekend could bring another major turn for the future of UK’s program.
Five-star center Adem Bona — a 6-foot-11 prospect from Prolific Prep (Calif.) — will be on campus starting Friday for his official visit to Kentucky, and the Wildcats have clearly made him their No. 1 frontcourt priority to finish off the class.
UK has already landed three five-star players for next season: point guard Skyy Clark, wing Chris Livingston, and shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe, who’s ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the 2022 class.
The Cats are also expected to get a commitment from five-star combo guard Cason Wallace, who appears to be sticking to his previously arranged announcement date of Nov. 7. Wallace is also considering Tennessee and Texas, but UK is the perceived favorite in that recruitment. He’s already visited all three schools and is not expected to take any more recruiting trips.
So, for UK, that leaves only Bona to bring onto campus and finish this class out.
Kentucky Coach John Calipari visited with Bona last month — the day before major UK frontcourt target Dereck Lively II committed to Duke — and, at that point, the Wildcats’ hope was to get both big men signed for their 2022 class.
With Lively off the board, Bona is the clear priority in the post and the only remaining uncommitted frontcourt player in the class of 2022 who holds a UK scholarship offer.
To drive home Bona’s importance to this Kentucky class, Calipari and Wildcats assistant coach Chin Coleman were back in California to meet with him again Tuesday, three days before Bona was scheduled to fly to Lexington for the official visit.
Though Kansas has also hosted Bona for an official visit, it’s UCLA that appears to be Kentucky’s top competition for his commitment.
Bruins Coach Mick Cronin has also met with Bona in recent weeks, and UCLA is scheduled to host him for an official visit in three weeks.
Kentucky currently holds all six predictions on Bona’s Crystal Ball page and Rivals.com FutureCast page, but the most recent of those picks came on Aug. 18, the day after UK extended a scholarship offer. The perception in national recruiting circles is that his recruitment has tightened up considerably since then, with UCLA making major gains.
Still, heading into this weekend’s visit, Kentucky should be seen as the team to beat for Bona’s commitment.
If UK can land Bona — the No. 10 overall player in the 247Sports rankings — the Wildcats’ 2022 class could be complete before winter. The one-week early signing period begins Nov. 10, and the hope on Kentucky’s end is that all three of its early commitments, as well as Bona and Wallace, will officially sign then.
Such a scenario would likely put a lid on the UK class, at least with 2022 recruits. Depending on what the Wildcats’ roster situation looks like after the upcoming season, there could be a need to look to the transfer portal or entertain a possible reclassification addition, but Bona and Wallace are currently the only high school seniors that Kentucky is pursuing.
Chris Livingston visits
Kentucky’s coaches will have a little extra help this weekend in convincing Bona to commit to the Wildcats.
Chris Livingston will also be on campus for an official visit, and he’ll surely be joining in the recruiting efforts.
Livingston was also in Lexington for an official visit in June, before he committed to the Cats. New NCAA rules established in 2019 permit high school recruits to take five official visits — where the host school pays for most of the expenses — during their junior year and five more during their senior year. Before that, players could only take such visits as seniors.
The NCAA established Aug. 1 as the date that the official visit calendar flips, so Livingston’s June visit counted against his junior year allotment, while this weekend’s trip will count as his senior year official visit to Kentucky.
Shaedon Sharpe has also taken two official visits to UK this summer — one in June and one in late August — while Skyy Clark is scheduled to use his senior year visit for Big Blue Madness later this month.
Kentucky’s recruiting ranking
Commitments elsewhere over the past week have dropped UK to No. 4 in the team rankings for the 2022 recruiting cycle.
The Cats shouldn’t be down there long.
Duke is still at No. 1, and Ohio State moved up to No. 2 with the commitment of top 100 prospect Brice Sensabaugh on Tuesday, giving the Buckeyes five total commitments for 2022. None of them are five-star players, however.
Arkansas jumped Kentucky for the No. 3 spot on Wednesday night, when five-star combo guard Nick Smith Jr. — a former UK target — committed to the Razorbacks, a major addition for Coach Eric Musselman’s program. Arkansas has four commitments for next season.
That put UK’s three-man class at No. 4 nationally, though all three of the Wildcats’ commitments are five-star recruits. The higher number of players in the Ohio State and Arkansas classes is what has them ranked ahead of Kentucky, for now.
This is still going to be a UK vs. Duke battle for the No. 1 spot.
If the Cats were to land a commitment from either Adem Bona or Cason Wallace, that would be enough to move them past the Blue Devils for the No. 1 ranking.
Duke is also pursuing five-star forward Mark Mitchell and four-star combo guard JJ Starling. If both teams land both of their top remaining targets, Duke would have the slight edge for No. 1.
If Kentucky lands Bona and Wallace, and Duke lands just one of its top two targets, the No. 1 ranking would go to the Wildcats.
And that might happen.
UK is viewed as the favorite for both Bona and Wallace, and Duke is the Crystal Ball favorite for Mitchell. Earlier this week, Duke recruiting insider John Watson put in a pro-Notre Dame prediction for Starling, a scenario that could ultimately tilt the top ranking back to Kentucky.
Whatever happens, expect the Cats and Blue Devils to occupy the top two spots for 2022.
