Things are trending away from Kentucky basketball in this recruitment
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Power forward Dawson Battie has held a UK basketball scholarship offer since October.
- Battie is one of 20 recruits with a Kentucky offer from the 2027 recruiting class.
- Battie is a five-star prospect in the 2027 recruiting group.
Kentucky basketball’s plans with the 2027 recruiting class have developed in recent months.
Mark Pope’s program now has a robust 20 scholarship offers out to rising high school seniors, and the Cats already have a commitment from 2027 small forward Ryan Hampton, who is considered a consensus five-star talent.
A simple understanding of college basketball roster building, as well as basic math, dictates that Kentucky won’t receive a commitment from all 19 other prospects who hold a UK scholarship offer. Pope and his coaching staff will have tough decisions to make with regard to which players the Cats can seriously pursue as the 2027 recruiting cycle develops.
And it appears one player may already have fallen down Kentucky’s priority order.
While participating in the NBPA Top 100 Camp last week, power forward Dawson Battie told the Herald-Leader that UK hasn’t been in contact with him “as much recently.”
Battie is a 6-foot-9 standout frontcourt player from near Dallas. 247Sports ranks Battie as a four-star prospect and as the No. 17 national recruit in the 2027 class. Battie has been on UK’s radar longer than most of his peers in the 2027 recruiting group.
Kentucky extended a scholarship offer to Battie in October after he took an unofficial visit to Lexington for last year’s Big Blue Madness event. At the time, Battie was the sixth player in the 2027 class to receive a UK offer.
“It was great. It was really cool,” Battie said of Big Blue Madness. “The energy was crazy. I got to meet with Coach Pope, he offered me himself.”
Battie had positive things to say about both Pope and UK assistant coach Mikhail McLean, who works extensively with the program’s big men.
“I think they do a good job of getting their players involved... Taking care of their players as well,” Battie said. “I think they do a really good job with guards, with Coach Calipari being there in the past. But I think Mark Pope does a great job as well. I think he does a good job with all his players. I think they’re a great development program.”
Even though communication has dipped between Battie and Kentucky, the standout prep prospect is leaving the door open for his UK recruitment to pick up steam again.
“Who knows, things could be going on,” Battie said. “They just had a guy commit. So, you never know. But I’m always open as a recruit.”
Battie comes from a storied basketball family.
His older brother, Dillon, plays at Wichita State and was a regular starter for the Shockers this past season. Battie’s father, Derrick, played four seasons at Temple from 1992-96 and reached the Elite Eight with the Owls in 1993. Most notably, Battie’s uncle, Tony, was a standout at Texas Tech before being selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft and playing 14 NBA seasons.
Whether that kind of basketball success will follow for the youngest Battie remains to be seen. But there are reasons for optimism on this front.
“I think I’m just a player. I think I’m just a basketball player. I think I make the right reads, the right decisions. I’m an unselfish guy. I can definitely score, but if the team needs 10 assists, then I’ll get 10 assists,” Battie said. “I’m not a selfish guy. I love to get my teammates involved, make them better. So I think I’m just a guy on the court who will make his teammates better and who will do whatever we need to win.”
With the Cats seemingly on the back burner in Battie’s recruitment, other programs are surging. Battie said he has scheduled visits to Nebraska, SMU, Texas A&M and Virginia in the fall. He’s previously taken trips to three of those four schools; Virginia is the exception.
Battie added that player development will be one of the biggest factors in his college decision.
“I do all the little things, the dirty work, the boxing out, the talking, the crashing the glass,” Battie said. “I think I do those kinds of things and I think that’s what makes me valuable as a player.”
Battie said he expects to drop a top-10 list of schools in the near future, and that he’s planning to commit to a school before the November early signing period.
