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Five Star Recruit Says Kentucky Offer “Meant the World to Me”

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Compton Magic on Twitter

When you look at the class of 2023 commitments for the Kentucky Wildcats, there is just one name, in-state legacy commit Reed Sheppard. However, since an upset loss to Saint Peter’s, the Kentucky coaching staff has been on the recruiting trail looking to add to that list.

Kentucky’s most recent offer was this Saturday to Andrej Stojakovic, one of the best, if not the best, shooters in the class of 2023, as confirmed by his AAU program, the Compton Magic.

The offer comes after John Calipari and Orlando Antigua scouted Stojakovic in Spartanburg this weekend at a stop in the Adidas travel circuit, where Stojackovic currently ranks seventh in scoring at 18.8 points per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the floor.

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Stojakovic stands 6-foot-6 and 185-pounds, as a top-100 recruit. Offensively, Stojakovic’s biggest strength is his shooting ability, whether that be off the catch or off the dribble, but he is still able to mix it up with his inside game. This combination allows him to fit the mold of the modern-day wing.

With as advanced footwork as anyone in the country and with his size and length, he is able to create separation and get off any shot he wants, when he wants.

Defensively, Stojakovic has the frame and is athletic enough to guard the post and on the perimeter. With a 6-foot-10 wingspan, he also has shown to be a respectable rim protector and rebounder.

The sharpshooting genes run strong in the Stojakovic family, as Andrej is the son of former three-time NBA All-Star and NBA champion, Peja Stojakovic, one of the best shooters in NBA history.

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Kentucky is not the only school taking notice. In just the last month, Stojakovic has received 10 other offers from power five schools including Kansas, Oregon, Florida, and Texas among others. However, the Kentucky offer seemed to carry a little more weight with Stojakovic telling 247 Sports, “it meant the world to me.”

Stojakovic’s full comments: “It [the offer] meant the world to me. Obviously, coach Cal is one of the best coaches of all time, and for him to even notice my game and say the things he said about me was kind of surreal. Traditionally it’s a basketball school, you make it to the tournament every year and you have expectations to win it all and they just go out, compete and play against the best.”

In an interview with Jamie Shaw of On3, Stojakovic talked more about Kentucky

“For a coach like Coach Cal (John Calipari) to notice my game and say what he said about me is surreal. He saw me play on Friday and then called me last night. He talked about how I make the right play and rebound and defend. Sure I can score, but he said he liked the little things I did. I am glad I am even on their radar. It means I am doing something right.”

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The best shooter in the country would look pretty good in Kentucky blue.

BB Recruiting

Kentucky Earns Commitment From European Big Andrija Jelavic

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Earlier today, Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats received the commitment from Andrija Jelavic, a 6-foot-11 big from Croatia.

As first reported by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Jelavic is one of the most highly regarded European prospects that is taking his talent to the NCAA.

Soon to be 21 years old, Jelavic averaged 10.8 points per game on 60% shooting from the field to go along with 7.4 rebounds per game for Mega Superbet, the same club that NBA Champion and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic played for.

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As a shock to most, who were expecting Pope’s next commit to be a guard of some sorts, international players can now sign lucrative NIL deals. Kentucky, along with several of the elite colleges, are now in the European market. 

Jelavic, with shades of current European big men, can do just about everything on the court. He can shoot, dribble, pass, finish at the rim, etc. With a very relevant comparison, Jelavic plays almost perfectly in the replacement role of Andrew Carr. 

His commitment now makes him the fifth member of Pope’s additions this offseason, joining Kam Williams, Jaland Lowe, Mouhamed Dioubate and Jayden Quaintance. 

With a 7’2” wingspan, joining an already impressive Kentucky frontcourt, it’s safe to say for certain that this new team will not lack in that department. 

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Next year’s roster was loaded with talent already, but now with the addition of Jelavic, lots of questions are arising: Who will start? How many more players is Pope going to add? What will happen with the walk-ons? 

There’s plenty to think about for Pope and his staff before the season starts, but like he said back when he introduced himself to Big Blue Nation, “We’re here to win banners.” He’s going to make the moves he thinks will do just that for the Wildcats. 

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Four-Star Guard Acaden Lewis Suddenly Decommits from Kentucky

Amidst a recent wave of positive recruiting news for Kentucky, the surprising decommitment of Acaden Lewis is an unfortunate wrench.

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2025 four-star point guard prospect Acaden Lewis has decommited from Kentucky.
UK Athletics

In a shocking, late at night turn of events, four-star freshman Acaden Lewis has decommitted from Kentucky.

Lewis, a 6’3” point guard out of Washington, D.C. first committed to the blue and white in November of last year, following an in-person visit with Mark Pope in his hometown.

Since then, he’s made multiple appearances in Rupp Arena, been featured in photo shoots with his fellow incoming recruits, and spoken on multiple occasions about his excitement to join the team for the 2025-26’ season.

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To say this development is surprising would be a serious understatement.

Lewis released a statement following the announcement, “This was an incredibly difficult decision, but I have to do what’s best for my future,” he said. “Thank you to Coach Pope and the whole Kentucky staff for all they’ve done for me so far.”

While the loss of Lewis is certainly disappointing, there is still much to look forward to next season for Kentucky, who maintain one of the highest rated transfer classes in the nation – and it likely isn’t finished.

To that point, if any reason can be derived immediately for Lewis’ decommitment, it may be found in the same place that Mark Pope and staff will be going to look for answers: the transfer portal.

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Top 10 Transfer Prospect, Former Wildcat Recruit Jayden Quaintance Commits to Kentucky

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2024 five-star big man Jayden Quaintance has commmitted to play basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats
UK Athletics

Two days into the week and two booms for the Kentucky Wildcats as Jayden Quaintance announced his commitment to Kentucky on Tuesday morning.

If the Quaintance name sounds familiar, it should. He was originally committed to play for the Cats out of high school last season as a five-star recruit. While he was interested in staying at Kentucky following John Calipari’s departure, even meeting with Mark Pope, he elected to play for Arizona State.

In his one season with the Sun Devils, Quaintance averaged 9.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, and 2.6 BPG, and earned Big 12 All-Freshman and All-Defensive honors.

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The one concern for Quaintance is that he had surgery to repair a torn ACL, which could keep him out for the entire offseason and potentially into the season. That said, the expectation for a return is September, and at just 17 years old, there is so much untapped potential.

Get to know the newest Wildcat commit!

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