An intriguing, 7-foot international prospect is visiting Kentucky basketball
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- UK basketball is getting a recruiting visit from Sayon Keita, an international prospect.
- Keita is a 7-foot center from Mali who plays for FC Barcelona of Spain.
- Keita is taking recruiting visits to top college programs like Duke, Kentucky and UConn.
Suddenly, the last week of July is shaping up to be a pivotal one for Kentucky basketball’s recruiting efforts.
On Friday, five-star class of 2026 point guard Deron Rippey Jr. will begin his official visit to Lexington. (Rippey has UK among his final 12 schools under consideration.)
On Wednesday, UK will also be hosting another talented college basketball prospect for a visit. And it’s an intriguing international recruit who will be making this midweek trip to check out the Cats.
Sayon Keita, a 7-foot center from Mali who plays for FC Barcelona in Spain, will come to Lexington as part of a whirlwind week of recruiting activity for him: Keita visited Kansas on Monday and Indiana on Tuesday, and he’s set to also visit Duke on Thursday, North Carolina on Friday and UConn on Saturday.
It’s a remarkable list of college basketball programs that Keita is receiving interest from.
The 17-year-old Keita, who has played for both the senior and youth teams at Barcelona, is considered a top international prospect in the 2027 recruiting class. He might reclassify into the 2026 recruiting group.
Kentucky doesn’t have a commitment yet in either the 2026 or the 2027 recruiting class. Pope and the Wildcats have extended scholarship offers to 20 players (19 of whom are still uncommitted) in the 2026 class and to four prospects in the 2027 class.
Of these players, four UK recruits are centers. Kentucky has offered and is recruiting centers Arafan Diane, Josh Irving and Ethan Taylor from the 2026 class and Obinna Ekezie Jr. from the 2027 class.
Sayon Keita would be a top prospect in the 2026 or 2027 recruiting class
Keita is known for his length, size and movement skills as a big man. Kentucky coaches got a firsthand look at these traits in several evaluation settings this summer.
UK watched Keita play in June at the NBPA Top 100 Camp in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Kentucky had four coaches present at that event: Pope was joined by associate head coach Alvin Brooks III, assistant coach Cody Fueger and assistant coach Jason Hart to evaluate potential recruits.
Keita was among the most efficient scorers (13.0 points per game on 67.5% shooting from the field), best rebounders (5.4 per game) and top rim protectors (3.2 blocks per game) at the NBPA Top 100 Camp.
Keita was also a standout this summer at the NBA Academy Games in Atlanta. Kentucky also watched Keita at this event. At the Academy Games, Keita averaged 13.2 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.0 blocks.
Keita would be the first Kentucky basketball player from Mali, a landlocked country in West Africa.
