New recruiting rankings, Hoophall Classic exploits showcase future UK basketball players
The Kentucky men’s basketball team has done a decent job of getting its 2022-23 season back on course in recent days, with victories at Tennessee and at home over Georgia.
All the while, the future of the UK program has continued to impress on a national level.
Recent days have seen all five members of Kentucky’s incoming 2023 recruiting class — Aaron Bradshaw, Robert Dillingham, Justin Edwards, Reed Sheppard and DJ Wagner — receive new rankings within the class from Rivals.
Additionally, four of those five players (everyone but Dillingham) displayed their skills on a prestigious national stage at the Hoophall Classic, an elite showcase event for the nation’s top high school basketball teams in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Here’s what you need to know about the new rankings for each UK signee, as well as how they fared against some of the country’s best players and teams.
Aaron Bradshaw
Rivals rankings movement: Up three spots overall to No. 5 in the class of 2023. No. 1 center in the class.
Hoophall Classic performances: Bradshaw and his Camden High School (New Jersey) team, which also features incoming Wildcat DJ Wagner, played two games at the Hoophall Classic.
▪ 15 points, eight rebounds in a 66-62 loss to Corona Centennial
▪ 13 points, four rebounds in a 90-54 win over Bishop Gorman
Quotable: “The two that’s on the Camden High School team, they’re doing really well for their team, they’re winning a bunch. ... They’re having a great season,” UK assistant coach Chin Coleman this month.
UK head coach John Calipari, associate coach Orlando Antigua and Coleman all watched Bradshaw play at the Hoophall Classic.
Robert Dillingham
Rivals rankings movement: Down one spot overall to No. 7 in the class of 2023. No. 3 point guard in the class.
Overtime Elite performances:
▪ Per-game averages of 13.3 points, 4.8 assists, 2.6 rebounds, 1.9 steals in 10 games played with the Cold Hearts.
Dillingham also scored 36 points in an OTE preseason game.
Quotable: “He’s like an Allen Iverson type, he’s just dynamic. He handles the ball really good, he can make shots, he’s really fun to watch, he can score in bunches, he can fill it up quick,” UK assistant coach K.T. Turner said last month in an interview with BBN Tonight’s Anna Tarullo and Keith Farmer.
Calipari visited Dillingham at Overtime Elite (which is located in Atlanta) in December.
Justin Edwards
Rivals rankings movement: Down two spots overall to No. 4 in the class of 2023. No. 2 small forward in the class.
Hoophall Classic performance:
▪ 25 points, 12 rebounds, six steals, four assists, one block in a 62-59 win for Imhotep Institute (Philadelphia) over Cardinal Hayes.
Quotable: “He’s someone who can make plays for himself and others in addition to scoring from both beyond the arc and around the basket, without any set plays being called for him. Can play both on or off the ball and excels in a free-flow, uptempo offense,” Pro Insight Basketball senior analyst Tyler Glazier told the Herald-Leader last month.
Antigua watched Bradshaw play at the Hoophall Classic.
Reed Sheppard
Rivals rankings movement: Remained the No. 22 player in the class of 2023. No. 3 shooting guard in the class.
Hoophall Classic performance:
▪ 13 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists, three blocks, two steals in a 54-48 loss for North Laurel to Mount St. Joseph.
Quotable: “This kid gets his hands on balls, passes,” UK head coach John Calipari said during his weekly radio show Monday night.
Calipari, Antigua and Coleman all watched Sheppard play at the Hoophall Classic.
DJ Wagner
Rivals rankings movement: Remained the No. 3 player in the class of 2023. No. 2 point guard in the class.
Hoophall Classic performances: Wagner and his Camden High School (New Jersey) team, which also features incoming Wildcat Aaron Bradshaw, played two games at the Hoophall Classic.
▪ 27 points, six rebounds in a 66-62 loss to Corona Centennial
▪ 14 points, six rebounds in a 90-54 win over Bishop Gorman
Quotable: “He shows an intriguing feel for capitalizing on breakdowns by finding teammates or hitting pull-up jumpers from mid and deep. ... Defensively, he is active and engaged, puts pressure on handlers, and generates events at a really high level despite him carrying a large offensive load,” Pro Insight Basketball analyst Alex Brown told the Herald-Leader last fall.
Calipari, Antigua and Coleman all watched Wagner play at the Hoophall Classic.
