Another sign that star basketball recruit DJ Wagner might pick Louisville over Kentucky
The first Crystal Ball prediction in nearly two years for star basketball player DJ Wagner’s recruitment has been logged, and it’s in favor of the Louisville Cardinals.
247Sports analyst Travis Branham, who covers recruiting nationally for the website, put in a pick for U of L on Wagner’s page Friday morning, four weeks after former Kentucky assistant Kenny Payne was introduced as the Cards’ new head coach.
Wagner — a 6-foot-3 combo guard from Camden, N.J. — is the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He’s held that position since his freshman year and last weekend was named the most valuable player of the first stop on the Nike EYBL circuit after averaging 23.8 points per game for the New Jersey Scholars.
The star prospect has close ties to Kentucky’s John Calipari, who coached his father, Dajuan Wagner, at Memphis, a relationship that remains strong two decades later.
That bond is so strong that UK has been seen as the clear favorite in Wagner’s recruitment since middle school, and all of the predictions on the 247Sports and Rivals.com pages have been in favor of the Wildcats. Until Branham’s pick Friday morning.
Once it became clear that Payne would be the next head coach at Louisville, the buzz that Wagner could pick Kentucky’s in-state rival as his college destination began, and that speculation has only strengthened in recent days.
Payne was teammates at Louisville with Milt Wagner (DJ’s grandfather) and Pervis Ellison (DJ’s AAU coach). Both Wagner and Ellison have been talked about in recruiting circles as possibilities to join Payne’s staff in some capacity.
Danny Manning was introduced as Louisville’s newest assistant coach Friday, and Duke assistant Nolan Smith, whose late father was also a teammate of Payne’s, has also joined the Cardinals’ program as a top assistant.
Calipari obviously won’t let Wagner go without a fight. The entire Kentucky coaching staff traveled to New Jersey just a few days after the Wildcats’ season ended to see Wagner’s team play in the state finals. Calipari and UK’s assistants also kept a close eye on Wagner on the Nike circuit during the first evaluation period last weekend, and the Cats extended a scholarship offer to star center Aaron Bradshaw — a high school and AAU teammate of Wagner’s — after watching those games.
Wagner’s recruitment will only heat up from here, but Branham’s prediction is yet another sign that the Wildcats have a real battle on their hands for a star prospect who once seemed like a lock to play at Kentucky.
This story was originally published April 15, 2022 at 1:00 PM.
