BB Recruiting

The Latest on the Recruitment of 2024 In-State Star, Travis Perry

Published

3 years ago

February 14, 2023

Twitter/ Vaught's Views

Class of 2024, point guard, Travis Perry from Eddyville, Kentucky has been making big headlines with his play on the basketball court, drawing interest from schools across the nation.

The Kentucky native just became the second player in Kentucky basketball history to score 4,000 points and still has the rest of this season and next to break “King” Kelly Coleman’s state record of 4,337 points.

Caught in 4K!

With 32-point effort in tonight’s home win over Bracken County, Lyon County junior Travis Perry becomes 2nd player EVER in KY to hit 4,000 career points.

📸: @YourSportsEdge1 @KHSAA top 2 scorers:
Kelly Coleman: 4,337 (1953-56)@Travis_Perry11: 4,022 (2018-pres) pic.twitter.com/RiMBDw10y6— Chris Jung (@iamchrisjung) February 12, 2023

According to 247 Sports, Perry is a four-star point guard, who received an offer from the University of Kentucky in June of 2022 after taking an unofficial visit to campus. In total, Perry currently holds sixteen offers including Cincinnati, Michigan, Ole Miss, and Purdue among others.

He recently talked to Davis Moseley of 247Sports about his recruitment and what teams are sticking out to him.

Kentucky

“Coach Cal and those guys do a great job. They always have a top-notch program and it’s fun to be able to see them up close. It’s close so I’m able to get up there for quick visits and practices. It’s a great program and I’m glad to have them recruiting me.”

Purdue

“I went to Purdue to watch a football game during my official visit weekend. I was able to sit with Coach Painter and all the staff. It was great being around their players and I love the way they do things over there. They were the #1 team in the nation before their loss to Indiana but they have a great system. The main thing is Coach Painter’s pitch, how he loves the guys he has and recruits the players that will be successful in his system.”

Michigan

“I also visited Michigan for a football game. I really hadn’t had too much conversation with the staff before the visit and they just had offered me. My takeaway from that visit was how great Coach Howard is. He is even better than you would expect and hear about him being. As a former NBA player, super-star, and part of arguably the most famous college basketball team of all time, you would expect him to be a touch stuck up and pretty much about his own business. That’s not how he is, at all. He is a great person, real likable, and genuinely nice to everybody. He cares about everybody in the community.”

Ole Miss

“I went down for both a basketball and football game. I love the way Coach Davis and his staff run things. Coach Davis has been on me for a while, so getting to grow our relationship and see how he runs things was big on my visit.”

Overall Picture

Just a junior in high school, Perry’s recruitment is likely to extend at least through the summer and likely farther than that. With that said, the Kentucky staff has not been actively recruiting Perry as of late, which will likely push him to another school.

However, to make an offer, they had to have seen something. With time remaining, if the Wildcats commit to recruiting Perry he could team up with Reed Sheppard barring a jump to the NBA. With that said, at the moment, Michigan and Ole Miss are the perceived favorites, but Matt Painter and Purdue were recently seen at one of Perry’s games and look to make a push.

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.