BB Recruiting

Top In-State Freshman, Jayden Johnson, Talks About His Dream to Play for Kentucky and John Calipari

Published

3 years ago

February 1, 2023

Photo by 247Sports

It’s the dream of so many young basketball players, to put on the blue and white and play basketball for the University of Kentucky. This is especially true for the kids who have grown up in Kentucky. As is the case for Trinity (Louisville, KY) freshman guard, Jayden Johnson.

Johnson, who previously played on the varsity team at Louisville Male as an eighth-grader before selecting Trinity when starting high school this year, is one of the rising players in the 2026 class. While slender, Johnson already has good length and size, standing 6-foot-5, but also plays more maturely than his age.

With his size and skill set, Johnson, already holds high-major D1 offers from Cincinnati, Missouri, Texas A&M, and West Virginia. However, he has also received some interest from some pretty big local programs, Kentucky and Louisville.

Now Johnson is picking up a lot of hype recently playing a pivotal role for Trinity in their six-point win over Huntington Prep from West Virginia.

Back in December, Kentucky assistant coach Orlando Antigua attended the Play-by-Play Classic event held at Freedom Hall, where he got his first look at Johnson as Trinity took on Huntington Prep. While he did not have his best game offensively, he showed his aforementioned maturity, playing a key role in a narrow win: being a leader and talking on defense, and displaying the ability to find open teammates.

Following the game, Johnson said, “Growing up, I was a Kentucky kid, Kentucky fan. Always wanted to play for Coach Calipari, he’s awesome”. He is not the first prospect to say this, but it is a positive sign and may give Kentucky a slight early advantage.

Johnson has never spoken with Calipari directly, as he is unable to due to NCAA rules, but he says that Calipari has been in contact with the people who represent him. This a big first step in recruiting a young kid, who will receive a lot more attention over the next four seasons.

National recruiting services such as 247Sports and Rivals have yet to release their 2026 rankings, but Johnson is considered a Top-25 prospect. When the 2026 rankings start coming out, expect to see the 6-foot-5 guard high in the rankings and likely tabbed as the No. 1 player in the state of Kentucky.

Related Topics:Jayden Johnson John Calipari Orlando Antigua

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.