‘Potential to be great.’ Calipari loves his five-star recruiting haul, dons T-shirt to prove it.
Kentucky men’s basketball has the top recruiting class in 2023, and John Calipari is ready to talk about it.
The Wildcats’ 2023 recruiting class was officially unveiled Monday afternoon, after the fifth and final member of the class — star combo guard DJ Wagner — announced his commitment to the Wildcats.
Confirmation of Kentucky’s five-player recruiting class soon followed.
The class features four five-star players according the 247Sports Composite: DJ Wagner (No. 1 in the class according to the 247Sports Composite), Justin Edwards (No. 2), Aaron Bradshaw (No. 6) and Robert Dillingham (No. 9).
Reed Sheppard (No. 29) is a four-star recruit.
Calipari is clearly enamored with this historically good recruiting class.
Also on Monday, a video of Calipari was posted to his Twitter account, in which he wore a T-shirt that acknowledged UK’s signing class in the style of a classic Beatles tribute shirt.
While Calipari didn’t say anything in that video about the incoming UK players, his comments released Monday offer insight into why each player is part of Calipari’s vision for Kentucky in the near future.
Here’s what Cal said about each class of 2023 UK recruit.
On Aaron Bradshaw: The most impactful trait we can have on the defensive end is the ability to block shots, and Aaron is elite at that. He also has all of the tools that a versatile big in today’s game needs.
Aaron’s motor continues to improve, he has great size and mobility. As a 7-footer, he can change the game on both ends of the court. He has a high ceiling and has only begun to scratch the surface of the kind of player he can be.
On Robert Dillingham: Our best teams have had really good guards and this class has that. Rob has the ability to make good decisions, can create for others or get his own shot. He can make contested layups, which opens the court for him offensively.
He is an extremely efficient scorer, but I’m excited about the fact that Rob wants to be pushed by other really good guards on our roster and continue to develop his versatility by playing with or without the ball in his hands.
On Justin Edwards: Justin has the ability to impact the game in a variety of ways. He has terrific size, can play multiple positions and can score the ball at all three levels. I really like how active he is defensively and his desire to rebound every ball.
He already has a great understanding that he can positively impact winning without scoring. That isn’t something you can teach, and I know Justin is going to demand the same of his teammates.
On Reed Sheppard: I know playing for Kentucky has been a dream of Reed’s ever since he was a child. But, Reed isn’t here because he wanted to be here. He’s here because he’s a really good player who can help this team win.
He has terrific fundamentals and is the kind of player who can excel on or off the ball. I love his work ethic and the fact that he wants to be pushed on the biggest of stages to reach his full potential.
On DJ Wagner: I have known D.J. his entire life and I’ve always wanted to coach him. Above all he is a competitor. He attacks the offensive end and is a versatile scorer, but he is equally as tough on defense. I love the spirit he’ll bring to practice every day, and I love that he wanted to be at Kentucky.
He knows that to get the best of himself, he needs to be surrounded by other talented players who are going to match his competitive energy.
