National analyst predicts UCLA (not Kentucky) will land top recruit Adem Bona
A new prediction is in for the recruitment of Adem Bona, and it’s not good for Kentucky.
Rivals.com national analyst Rob Cassidy placed a FutureCast prediction in favor of UCLA on Bona’s player page Tuesday, the latest development in one of the most watched recruitments in the 2022 class this fall.
Bona — a 6-foot-11 center from Nigeria, now playing for Prolific Prep (Calif.) — is still considering UK, Kansas, UCLA and the NBL professional league in Australia, but his recruitment is widely seen as strictly a Kentucky-UCLA battle. He took an official visit to UK this month and is scheduled to be in Los Angeles for the final official visit of his recruitment next weekend. A college decision is expected shortly after that visit, possibly before the end of the early signing period on Nov. 17.
Kentucky lost out on five-star center Dereck Lively II, who committed to Duke last month, and Bona has been the Wildcats’ other big frontcourt target in this cycle. No other post players in the 2022 class have scholarship offers from UK, and few five-star prospects are still uncommitted for next season.
The Cats have already landed commitments from five-star point guard Skyy Clark, five-star shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe, five-star wing Chris Livingston, and they’re expected to add five-star combo guard Cason Wallace, who will announce his college decision Nov. 7.
Bona is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 10 overall player in the 2022 class.
Cassidy’s prediction in favor of UCLA is the first FutureCast pick on Bona’s page in nearly two months. There have been zero new Crystal Ball predictions for Bona since Aug. 18, the day after Kentucky extended a scholarship offer.
UK’s roster this season features Oscar Tshiebwe, Daimion Collins and Lance Ware in the frontcourt — along with bigger wings Keion Brooks, Jacob Toppin and Bryce Hopkins — and, although none of those players are currently projected as NBA Draft picks next year, it’s unclear what each Wildcat will do following this season.
This story was originally published October 12, 2021 at 1:56 PM.
