BB Recruiting

Big Recruiting Weekend for Kentucky Basketball

Published

4 years ago

April 15, 2022

Tristan Pharis

Reeves (Left) via ISU Athletics, Miller (Right) via ProInsight

This weekend is a big one for the Kentucky men’s basketball program, specifically to help shape next year’s roster.

Top transfer target, Antonio Reeves, and five-star recruit, Leonard Miller, will both be in Lexington taking visits.

Antonio Reeves

Averaging 20.1 points, Antonio Reeves is the highest scorer in the transfer portal and is one of the hottest names in the portal period, ranked as a top 25 transfer by both ESPN and The Athletic.

Reeves, a junior transfer from Illinois State, stands 6-foot-6 and 185 pounds and is a scoring specialist.

As previously mentioned, Reeves averages 20.1 points, but scores his points efficiently, shooting 46.9 percent from the field, 39 percent from 3-point range, and 81.8 percent from the free-throw line

Kentucky will be Reeves’ only second visit since entering the portal, previously visiting Nebraska. However, he has received interest from the likes of Duke, Texas Tech, and North Carolina among others.

Reeves, originally from Chicago, is being recruited by UK assistant and fellow Chicago native Chin Coleman. Coleman’s recruiting ties within the city are well known, with him even being the former director of Mac Irvin Fire, Reeves’ former AAU program.

Calipari and Co. have seemingly embraced the transfer portal, building this past season’s team with three key transfers that started.

Considering UK’s embracing of the transfer portal and the ties to Coleman, this should put Kentucky atop of Reeves’ list

Leonard Miller

Leonard Miller has seen his stock skyrocket in recent months, going from relatively unknown to ranked 11th in the On3 recruiting rankings, and now arguably the best remaining prospect in the 2022 class.

Thanks to a six-inch growth spurt, the lanky forward from Canada now stands 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan but has shown impressive shooting touch and guard skills for his size.

According to Jamie Shaw of On3, this past season, Miller initiated 90% of his team’s offense. Averaging 32 points per game and shooting over 40% from three.

In an interview with Travis Graf of Rivals, Miller called Kentucky a “dream school”, which is something Kentucky fans have heard a thousand times before, but it does seem that he does like what Kentucky has to offer.

“That’s been a dream school of mine since I’ve been growing up. I like the culture that they have and what they bring to the table. They have a record of producing and having good results with their guys. Just the whole gig in general, I like it.”

Miller just named his final three on Thursday, including Arizona, G-League, and Kentucky

Breaking: 2022 five-star Leonard Miller is down to Kentucky, Arizona, and the G-League, he tells @On3Recruits.

Ranked as the 11th overall prospect in the class by On3.

Story: https://t.co/tVrbzWQxnG pic.twitter.com/CJsRg2HCeo— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 14, 2022

The popular belief that it is primarily down to Kentucky and the G-League, those being his only two visits, and considering Arizona has not been mentioned until recently.

Related Topics:Antonio Reeves Chin Coleman Leonard Miller

BB Recruiting

Kentucky Basketball Receives Prediction to Land International Star Nikola Kusturica

Published

2 days ago

June 17, 2026

Tristan Pharis

Kentucky basketball has taken over as the favorite for Serbian star Nikola Kusturica, a projected lottery pick in 2028, with a prediction backing the Wildcats.

Just when many believed Kentucky’s roster was complete in terms of contributing players, Mark Pope might have an ace up his sleeve.

Last week, it was reported that Kentucky was among the frontrunners to land 6-foot-8 Serbian wing Nikola Kusturica. At the time, Gonzaga was thought to be the team to beat, having a more defined role to offer, compared to Kentucky, who has one remaining roster spot and a good amount of depth in wing positions.

Since then, things have shifted in a big way.

Gonzaga received a commitment from 18-year-old French guard Juwan Ekanga-Ehawa on Sunday. By Tuesday night, the Wildcats received a Crystal Ball prediction from 247Sports’ Travis Branham to land Kusturica, with a confidence level of 7 out of 10.

The 6-foot-8 wing currently plays for FC Barcelona in Spain’s Liga ACB and EuroLeague system. He just turned 17 years old and is reportedly seeking a two-year college opportunity before becoming draft-eligible in 2028, where he is already being projected as a lottery pick.

The on-court résumé speaks for itself. In the 2025 FIBA U16 EuroBasket, he averaged 20 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game while leading Serbia to a championship and was named tournament MVP. He also helped Barcelona capture the Adidas NextGen Finals championship last month, posting 20 points and 10 rebounds in the title game against Real Madrid.

Next, Kusturica will represent Serbia in the FIBA U17 World Cup from June 27 to July 5, and a college decision could come before then.

Mark Pope is carrying a lot of momentum in recent weeks after retaining Malachi Moreno and adding Milan Momcilovic to this season’s roster, as well as landing the first top 10 prospect of his career in Ryan Hampton. If he can close on Kusturica, that would cap off the roster in a significant way and continue to change the narrative around his recruiting ability.

BB Recruiting

Kentucky Earns Commitment From No. 6 Prospect in 2027 Class Ryan Hampton

Published

2 weeks ago

June 7, 2026

Kai McClelland

Photo via UK Athletics

How about a Sunday boom in the recruiting world for you BBN?

Ryan Hampton, the No. 6 overall prospect in the 2027 class, has officially committed to the University of Kentucky! This is Mark Pope’s first top-10 prospect that he’s earned a commitment from.

Hailing from Rockwall, Texas, Hampton recently took an official visit to campus with his family, which began on Friday, June 5 and spilled into Sunday, June 7, his commitment day.

The five-star wing averaged 21.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game during the most recent EYBL Circuit, playing for LivOn and Nightrydas.

Hampton was the first recruit in the 2027 to officially visit with the Wildcats, and now he’s the first to call their shot early and choose the blue and white.

Pope has signed Milan Momcilovic, the No. 2 ranked transfer, and Hampton, his first top-10 high school prospect just in the past week.

It’s been a crazy week for recruiting, with the narrative around Pope’s ability slowing fading as the top guys continue to be attracted to the Kentucky brand.

BB Recruiting

Fast Riser Big Man Yann Kamagate Receives Scholarship Offer From Kentucky

Published

1 month ago

May 18, 2026

Tristan Pharis

Fresh off the first live recruiting period of the offseason, Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats have extended their first scholarship offer of the 2028 class.

Yann Kamagate, a prospect who went from unranked to the top five in 247Sports’ most recent recruiting rankings, received an offer from the Wildcats, he confirmed to KY Insider on Monday.

“Not everyone gets the chance to be seen by greatness,” Kamagate told KY Insider. “I’m grateful for the offer from Kentucky.”

Kentucky assistant coach Mikhail McLean, who works with the Wildcats’ big men and their development, watched Kamagate first-hand this past weekend in the Adidas 3SSB circuit in Mishawaka, Indiana.

The 7-foot big man was the talk of the weekend, displaying a high motor, extreme athleticism — a reported 7-9 winspam — and great feel for the game. On the circuit, he is averaging 13.9 points, a circuit-leading 10.4 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game.

Originally from the West African country of Burkina Faso, Kamagate moved to the United States just a year ago and has only been playing basketball for three years. Now, he is challenging for the top spot in the 2028 class.

He is currently represented by former NBA player and UCLA star Luc Mbah a Moute. Which is relevant as he is currently playing for the California Adidas team, Compton Magic, and attends La Cañada Flintridge (Calif.) St. Francis.

The offer is the latest signal that Mark Pope’s staff is casting a wide and aggressive net this offseason, and targeting players whose trajectories are trending sharply upward. Kamagate fits that profile exactly.