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DJ Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw’s High School Career Ended Following On-Court Altercation

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© CHRIS LACHALL/USA TODAY NETWORK ATLANTIC GROUP / USA TODAY NETWORK

On Thursday night, Camden High School would take on Camden Eastside for the title game in the inaugural Camden County Tournament in New Jersey. The game, unfortunately, came to an abrupt end, being suspended after a brawl broke out between the two teams.

The game took place at Cherry Hill High School, a neutral site for both teams. Camden was leading the game 30-17 with 4:23 left in the second quarter when the fight initiated. Eastside’s Titus Bacon appeared to initiate a screen in which he was met with a forearm from Camden’s Cornelius Robinson. In retaliation, Bacon threw a punch toward Robinson in the same instance. A foul was called, but the action did not stop when the whistle was blown.

Kentucky signee, DJ Wagner acted instantly in defense of his Camden teammate, chasing after the Eastside player. Wagner had to be held back by teammates and coaches as benches and bleachers were cleared in the scuffle. Current teammate and fellow future Wildcat, Aaron Bradshaw, was one of the first teammates there to assist in pulling Wagner out of the situation.

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The action was broken up by coaches, officials, spectators, and members of the Cherry Hill police department. Due to the escalated situation, the remainder of the game was suspended.

Thankfully, no one was hurt in the altercation.

Camden and Eastside suspended from state tournament

No action goes without consequence. On Friday, Katrina McCombs, State District Superintendent of the Camden County School District announced that the district will be withdrawing Camden and Camden Eastside from state tournament participation.

Per McCombs’ press release, “we know meaningful action must be taken and it must be done swiftly which is why the District will be withdrawing both teams from NJSIAA [New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association] tournament play. This initiative is being taken to ensure that our scholar-athletes know that accountability for their actions is paramount not only in basketball but also in the larger game of life.”

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Regretfully, future Wildcats DJ Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw have played their final games for Camden High. They will miss the opportunity to defend their state title.

Camden held a 23-2 record and was set to be the No. 2 seed in their respective section of the state tournament. They were a favorite to win the tournament.

Camden’s first-year coach, Maalik Wayns, released a statement via Twitter issuing an apology and taking “full responsibility” for the actions involving his team.

What does this mean for Wagner and Bradshaw at Kentucky?

Hopefully, Camden’s suspension from the state tournament will be the extent of their punishment. At this time, there is nothing indicating that Wagner or Bradshaw would face any consequences affecting their collegiate career.

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When news of Camden’s brawl hit the Big Blue Nation, there were mixed thoughts and feelings reflected across social media.

Some Kentucky fans looked at Wagner’s actions in a positive light, appreciating his toughness and grit to fight in his teammates’ defense. Many took the opportunity to apply the popular expression, “he’s got that dawg in him.”

On the other hand, there were plenty of fans who had the opposite view. Fighting in sports isn’t really the best look, especially if it creates negative consequences affecting the rest of the team.

Regardless of how it may seem, having a player with some grit and an edge might be exactly what Kentucky Basketball needs. DJ Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw will both bring toughness and willingness to battle that every coach wants to see in their players.

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It is a tough break for the two future Wildcats to lose the opportunity to play for another state championship. However, it will also serve as an invaluable situation for these young players to learn, grow, and mature from before they get to Lexington.

As it stands, both Wagner and Bradshaw are still eligible to play in the McDonald’s All-American game on March 28th.

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BB Recruiting

Kentucky Has Contacted Nation’s Leading Scorer, Four-Star Transfer Jaron Pierre Who Is “Definitely” Interested in the Cats

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Jacksonville State transfer Jaron Pierre has been contacted by Kentucky.
Jacksonville State Athletics

There are more than a thousand players in the transfer portal, meaning names are flying left and right. As of April 1st, Kentucky has one commitment in Kam Williams (Tulane), and is projected to land top 25 transfer Magoon Gwath (San Diego State).

That said, the Kentucky staff has been in contact with more than a dozen players, and there is another notable player to add to that list.

KY Insider can report that Kentucky has contacted Jaron Pierre from Jacksonville State. Pierre is currently a four-star transfer prospect and ranked as the 34th ranked prospect in 247Sports‘ transfer portal rankings.

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At Jacksonville State last season, Pierre scored more points than anyone else in college basketball (777 points), averaging 21.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists while shooting 38.2% from 3-point range (9.0 attempts per game). He scored 30 points or more in six games, and only had one game where he did not score in double digits. His impressive play earned him Conference USA Player of the Year honors.

Pierre also had prior stops at Southern Miss and Wichita State, where he spent two years at each school, and will be going into his sixth season of college basketball. Pierre has also declared for the NBA Draft, but is not currently projected on any mock drafts.

While still early in his recruitment, Pierre tells KY Insider that he is “definitely” interested in Kentucky, but no Zoom meeting or visit has been scheduled.

“I love it Big Blue Nation,” Pierre said of the Kentucky program. He also really liked what Mark Pope was able to do in his first season in Lexington. “He was able to pick up right where it left off.”

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The level of competition is always a question when evaluating a mid-major talent, but Pierre’s athleticism jumps off the page and a 38.2% clip from three on nine attempts per game is nothing to slight at.

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BB Recruiting

Kentucky Receives First Transfer Commitment From Top 25 Prospect, “Not Many People Get Opportunities Like This”

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Kentucky transfer Kam Williams prepares to shoot.

While all the attention is on Kentucky’s matchup with Tennessee in the Sweet Sixteen, the transfer portal officially opened on Monday and the staff has been hard at work.

Already tossing a wide net, reaching out to nearly a dozen guys in the past few days, the Cats have reeled in their first commitment from Top 25 ranked (247Sports), four-star transfer Kam Williams from Tulane.

With a 6-8, 190-pound frame, Williams has good size. What caught the staff’s eye is his ELITE shooting ability, shooting better than 41 percent this past season and that includes 17 threes made beyond 25 feet. He excels best in catch-and-shoot situations, where he ranks in the 94th percentile.

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Williams received interest from many schools in addition to Kentucky, such as Florida, Louisville, and St. John’s among others. Why did Williams commit to Kentucky so quickly?

“Not many people get opportunities like this, so I wanted to pull the trigger fast,” Williams told ESPN. “More people are waiting to fill that spot, so I had to take advantage.”

“My dream is to play in the NBA. Kentucky’s culture and background shows that they care about their players, especially developing them into the best players they can be.”

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Kentucky Named a Finalist for Five Star, Top 5 NBA Prospect Nate Ament

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2025 top five prospect Nate Ament on his visit to Kentucky.
UK Athletics

Mark Pope has received three top-35 commitments in his first high school recruiting class, including two high 4-star commits in Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno.

However, his first top-10 prospect still eludes him after missing out on Caleb Wilson last month… at least for now.

Over the last few weeks, Pope and his staff have focused heavily on top-five prospect Nate Ament.

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Ament, the second-ranked power forward in the 2025 class, cut his list down to five schools earlier this week: Duke, Louisville, Tennessee, Arkansas, and the Kentucky Wildcats.

The 6-foot-9 prospect has visited each of them except Arkansas over the last five months, with a decision expected in the next month or so. Where does each program stand?

According to Joe Tipton of On3, Louisville and Duke have “positioned themselves” the best in this recruitment, giving Pat Kesley and the Cardinals a slight lead. However, there is still time, and one thing that could shake things up the most is NIL, reported to be one of Ament’s biggest priorities.

Elsewhere at On3, Jamie Shaw did his own update, where he said this could be down to a Kentucky vs. Louisville battle.

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“Speaking with sources at this point in time it does sound like there is a split room around Nate Ament with Duke, Louisville, and Kentucky. With the intel I am currently getting, I would not be surprised to see this ultimately come down to a Kentucky and Louisville battle,” Shaw wrote, later adding that a decision could come in the next few weeks.

Ament is fresh off a visit to Kentucky, where he saw Rupp Arena at its best as the Wildcats completed the season sweep of Tennessee. That being his most recent visit, along with Pope visiting for Ament’s Senior night, the hope is it made a lasting impact, but will it be enough?

Time will tell, but the Cats are a legitimate contender to land Ament.

Be sure to read Shaw’s update here.

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Also posted on A Sea of Blue.

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