BB Recruiting

DJ Wagner Receives Louisville Crystal Ball Prediction

Published

4 years ago

April 15, 2022

Tristan Pharis

UK Athletics

Over the past several seasons, Kentucky has been put in bad situations with No. 1 recruits.

Skal Labiessiere never played to his ranking. James Wiseman, once a Kentucky lock was pulled to Memphis as they hired his high school coach Penny Hardaway. Cade Cunningham, silently committed to Kentucky on an official visit before Oklahoma hired his brother. Now, potentially Shaedon Sharpe may never play in a Kentucky uniform after one semester.

It appears that Kentucky may be put in another with DJ Wagner, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 class.

On Friday, Travis Branham of 24/7 Sports made a prediction for the Louisville Cardinals to land Wagner, with a “medium” confidence level.

Of the three predictions, Kentucky still leads with two, but it shows that Wagner is no longer the guarantee for Kentucky as once thought.

Why is this?

Since Kenny Payne was hired at Louisville, rumors have been circulating that he would being bringing in his former teammate and DJ’s grandfather Milt Wagner to his staff. That’s not to mention his other teammate, Pervis Ellison, who is DJ’s grassroots coach.

Despite the worry that may cause, Calipari and Kentucky have their own connections, DJ’s father Dajuan, and stepbrother, UK walk-on Kareem Watkins, who DJ has called his “best friend” and “blood brother”.

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

A few months back, Milt Wagner did tell The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker, “I don’t tell my kids where to go, I let them figure it out. Of course, I’d like them to follow in my footsteps, but sometimes what is best for me might not be best for them… It has to be your decision. DJ is his own guy, and he’ll do what feels right for him.”

Earlier this month Wagner did open up about his recruitment with Branham, and talked about each school.

In regards to Louisville and what he knows about Kenny Payne, DJ said, “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.”

Whereas, Wagner spoke glowingly about Kentucky.

“They definitely are recruiting me and it’s a great school. I am still open to everyone but Kentucky is a great school and I love Kentucky. It was definitely an honor seeing how much they supported me and it’s really an honor when any coach comes to watch but that was definitely great that they all came to watch.”

Kentucky should still feel confident but it is shaping up to be a battle of close connections with Calipari-Dajaun-Watkins vs. Payne-Milt-Ellison.

Holidays for the Wagners are going to be awkward as DJ makes his decision with no timeframe set.

Related Topics:Dajuan Wagner DJ Wagner Kareem Watkins Kenny Payne Louisville Milt Wagner Pervis Ellison

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.