UK basketball has a strong legacy of Canadian players. Is this recruit next?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kentucky basketball is recruiting class of 2027 center Paul Osaruyi.
- 247Sports ranks Osaruyi as a five-star prospect in the 2027 recruiting class.
- Osaruyi is from Canada and plays prep basketball at Bella Vista Prep in Arizona.
Kentucky basketball has a proud legacy of rostering elite basketball players from the North.
Canada is the best-represented international origin for UK players. Seven Canadians have appeared in a game for the Kentucky program, which is the most of any country outside the United States. The likes of Jamaal Magloire, Jamal Murray and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are all accomplished Canadians who donned the blue and white, going on to achieve plenty at both the college and professional levels.
This is particularly true for Gilgeous-Alexander, a one-and-done Kentucky player during the 2017-18 season who became the first ex-Cat to win the NBA’s MVP award.
Is another standout Canadian set to follow in their footsteps and make Lexington their college home? Class of 2027 center Paul Osaruyi could do just that.
Osaruyi is a star big man in the rising high school senior class. 247Sports ranks him the No. 8 overall recruit and second-best center from that recruiting group.
“I spent a lot of time in the gym working on my jump shot, working on a lot of different situations and just what I need to do better, and well, to play better on the court,” Osaruyi told the Herald-Leader last month at the NBPA Top 100 Camp in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
The 6-foot-10 Osaruyi is an athletic big man who can surprise opponents with his quickness. Osaruyi is averaging 9.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 blocks per game while playing with Arizona Unity in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League this summer.
Attention from college coaches has been a constant for Osaruyi over the past few months, including at the Top 100 Camp, where UK head coach Mark Pope was joined by assistants Cody Fueger, Mo Williams and Mikhail McLean, along with director of men’s basketball operations Nick Robinson, to watch Osaruyi play.
Osaruyi said Pope and Williams — who joined Kentucky as an assistant coach in April — have been his main points of contact at UK. Both coaches also watched Osaruyi play in May in Memphis, Tennessee, during a Nike EYBL event during a recruiting evaluation period.
“They’re telling me how they like my game and how they want to come see me and set me up for a visit,” Osaruyi said of Kentucky’s message. “They’re really telling me the same thing: How the fit is, and how to get better on the court, really telling me different parts of my game and what I need to tweak and fix.”
Osaruyi was one of several recruits at the NBPA camp who told the Herald-Leader that their relationship with Williams was a positive part of their Kentucky recruitment.
“He’s a cool guy, very humble... He’s just being a real guy, letting me know how it is with his story and everything,” Osaruyi said of Williams.
UK got another look at Osaruyi over the weekend. The Cats took an offseason summer trip to Las Vegas, the location for this past week’s Nike EYBL stop. From Thursday through Sunday, college coaches watched prospects play on the Nike circuit as part of a recruiting evaluation period.
Kentucky already has an early commitment from five-star class of 2027 small forward Ryan Hampton, who is the highest-ranked high school recruit to ever commit to play for Pope in college. Osaruyi said he and Hampton already have a good relationship. Hampton and Osaruyi are two of 21 players from the 2027 recruiting class with a UK scholarship offer.
Another potential selling point for the Cats with Osaruyi is Pope’s pedigree as a former big man who won an NCAA championship before spending six seasons in the NBA.
“It’s helpful. Really, I would say I like being a sponge, really learning from multiple people and obviously since (Pope) played Division I basketball and obviously in the NBA, I’d love to learn from him,” Osaruyi said. “... I’ll say that plays a real role.”
Osaruyi also cited Kentucky’s fast and physical playing style as well as the program’s recent standing as a pipeline to the NBA. UK has produced four NBA draft selections in Pope’s two seasons as head coach.
But if Kentucky is to secure a commitment from Osaruyi, it’s clear the Cats will have to roll up their sleeves and fend off some strong recruiting competition. Other schools that are making Osaruyi a priority include Arkansas, Houston, Indiana, North Carolina and West Virginia. Osaruyi has already scheduled visits to Arkansas and North Carolina, which he said he’ll take in August.
There’s a familiar face involved in the Tar Heels’ pursuit of Osaruyi. North Carolina assistant coach Chuck Martin spent one season as an assistant at Kentucky under John Calipari during the 2023-24 campaign, before following Calipari to Arkansas. Now, Martin is part of Michael Malone’s first coaching staff at UNC. At the professional level, Malone coached Murray — the former Canadian guard at Kentucky — to the 2023 NBA championship with the Denver Nuggets.
Ultimately, Osaruyi said fit and player development will guide his college decision.
“I want to get to the NBA, but I also want to dominate and be consistent in college,” Osaruyi said. “So whatever school has the best fit for me to do so is where I’ll go to.”
