BB Recruiting

DJ Wagner Changes Tone on Louisville, Is Kentucky Still the Favorite?

Published

4 years ago

April 29, 2022

Jon Lopez/Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

DJ Wagner, the prized No.1 recruit in the class of 2023, has been long considered to be a presumed lock to Kentucky. This is due to the connection between his father Dajuan Wagner, and John Calipari, who Dajuan has said multiple times that he owes his career to.

Dajuan played for Calipari at Memphis and pushed him to leave after one season, being drafted sixth in the 2002 NBA Draft before his career was derailed by injuries. This left Dajuan with a lasting impression of Calipari, as he pushed him to do what was best for himself and his family.

With that said, one could easily see the connection and see why DJ would almost certainly be a Wildcat. Well, that is until recently.

When Kenny Payne was hired as the head coach for the Louisville Cardinals, another connection was made. That connection? DJ’s grandfather, Milt Wagner, who was Payne’s college teammate and remains a close friend.

Speculation began immediately that Payne would hire Milt onto the staff as an assistant coach to help lure DJ to Louisville. However, on Wednesday Payne finalized his staff, and Milt was not hired.

This should leave Kentucky fans pretty confident, as Kentucky has the two of the closest connections to DJ, his father Dajuan (previously mentioned), and stepbrother, UK walk-on Kareem Watkins, who DJ has called his “best friend” and “blood brother”.

Or should it?

In the last month, DJ has talked about Louisville and Kenny Payne, giving two very different answers just weeks apart from each other.

April 4th in an interview with 247Sports’ Travis Branham: “Not really, not too much, not a lot but he is definitely a great coach. I know that he was a great coach at Kentucky and I know that he will do a great job but I don’t have a super personal connection.”

April 22nd during EYBL in Indianapolis: “That’s like family. We have always been family since I was young.”

Make of the comments what you will, but if you are one to put stock into the 247 Crystal Ball predictions, Kentucky and Louisville are now even at 50%.

Given the connections, I would side with Kentucky still being the favorite, but it is shaping up to be a heated rivalry battle for the Nation’s top recruit. For Kentucky’s sake, one can hope this is not another tale of misfortune for the No. 1 recruit, such as the likes of James Wiseman, Cade Cunningham, and Shaedon Sharpe.

Related Topics:Cade Cunningham Dajuan Wagner DJ Wagner James Wiseman John Calipari Kareem Watkins Kenny Payne Louisville Milt Wagner Shaedon Sharpe

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.