Next Cats Blog

More Kentucky basketball recruiting links: Dereck Lively II commits to Duke over UK

Dereck Lively II helped lead Team Final to the Nike Peach Jam championship in July.
Dereck Lively II helped lead Team Final to the Nike Peach Jam championship in July. Nike

Star basketball recruit Dereck Lively II committed to Duke over Kentucky on Monday night, pushing the Blue Devils past the Wildcats for the No. 1 class in the 2022 recruiting cycle, for now. UK is still targeting five-star big man Adem Bona for its 2022 class, which still has a chance to be ranked No. 1 nationally.

Here’s the latest on Lively’s decision, and more from around the recruiting world ...

Top Kentucky basketball recruiting links:

More on Jahki Howard, who is looking like a top five player in 2024

247Sports: Commitment from Dereck Lively gives Duke the No. 1 class

Rivals.com: What Duke is getting with the commitment of Dereck Lively

Sports Illustrated: Duke landing Lively was a win on multiple levels

Former UK target Nick Smith Jr. has set date for his college commitment

247Sports VIP: Cason Wallace still eyes Nov. 7 (his birthday) for decision

2023 small forward says UK is one of three schools in contact the most

Georgia shooting guard Jahki Howard looking like a top 5 talent in 2024

SEC news: Florida lands a point guard commitment for the class of 2022

George Washington III enjoyed UofL event, details relationship with Cards

Michigan State landed a commitment from a top 100 recruit on Sunday

In-state star Kaleb Glenn loved his visit to Louisville over the weekend

Jon Rothstein: Rick Pitino’s Iona will be a mid-major to watch for 2020-21

More recruiting links: Cason Wallace’s recruitment is coming to a close

This story was originally published September 20, 2021 at 7:00 AM.

Ben Roberts
Lexington Herald-Leader
Ben Roberts is the University of Kentucky men’s basketball beat writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He has previously specialized in UK basketball recruiting coverage and created and maintained the Next Cats blog. He is a Franklin County native and first joined the Herald-Leader in 2006. Support my work with a digital subscription
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