Top Kentucky basketball target Hunter Sallis takes another step in his recruitment
College basketball fans won’t get an answer on Hunter Sallis’ destination for next season during this early signing period, but there is a little movement on his recruitment.
Sallis — a 6-foot-5 point guard from Omaha, Neb., and possibly the best class of 2021 prospect at his position — narrowed his recruiting list to eight schools Monday. Kentucky, a potential favorite for Sallis’ commitment, made the cut, along with Creighton, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Kansas, North Carolina, Oregon and UCLA.
The four schools on Sallis’ previous list that did not make this latest cut were Alabama, Auburn, Louisville and Michigan.
UK extended a scholarship offer to Sallis over the summer and has made him a top recruiting priority for the past several months. The Wildcats signed four-star point guard Nolan Hickman last week and also landed a recent commitment from Skyy Clark, a five-star point guard in the 2022 class who could still reclassify and play for UK next season.
Still, the Cats want Sallis, a do-it-all playmaker with tremendous size for the position.
Former Rivals.com national analyst Corey Evans — now working with the Oklahoma City Thunder’s front office — told the Herald-Leader after Sallis emerged on UK’s radar that he was “a no-brainer Kentucky kind of guy,” based on his ability on the court, drive to get better, and outgoing personality off the court.
“The lazy comparison — but one that’s not entirely wrong — is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander,” Evans said at the time. “Just because of his size and his length due to a growth spurt, and his ball skills, and his wiggle. Hunter is definitely more athletic than Shai was. He’s more explosive, has more wiggle to his game. And he might be more of a scorer than Shai was.”
Before Kentucky got involved, Kansas and North Carolina were seen as the leaders in Sallis’ recruitment. Though analysts have been quick to caution that there is no clear favorite at the moment, several have settled on UK as the new frontrunner.
247Sports national analysts Eric Bossi and Jerry Meyer have both logged Crystal Ball predictions in favor of Kentucky on Sallis’ page this fall. Top Rivals.com analysts Rob Cassidy and Dan McDonald have also put in picks for UK this month.
Both Rivals.com and 247Sports rank Sallis as the No. 6 overall prospect in the 2021 class.
The early signing period for 2021 prospects ends Wednesday, and Sallis will not make a college commitment by that time. The current plan seems to be to hold off on a decision until the spring in hopes that the NCAA will lift its ban on recruiting travel in time for him to take some campus visits before making his college choice. Sallis has not yet visited Kentucky.
The regular signing period for high school seniors begins April 14.
This story was originally published November 16, 2020 at 1:23 PM.
