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Johhny “Bucket” Juzang could Reclassify to 2019 Class, Announcement Tomorrow

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With five players definitely leaving (Reid Travis, PJ Washington, Keldon Johnson, Tyler Herro, and Jemarl Baker) and potentially two more (Nick Richards and EJ Montgomery), there is a lot of unpredictability as we look ahead to next year’s Kentucky team.

Returnees
G Ashton Hagans
G Immanuel Quickley
G Brad Calipari
G/F Zan Payne
C Nick Richards
C EJ Montgomery

Newcomers
G Tyrese Maxey
G/F Khalil Whitney
G/F Dontaie Allen
F Keion Brooks
F Nate Sestina

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John Calipari is exploring all possibilities to fill next year’s roster and one of the hottest names in Kentucky basketball recruiting right now is 2020 five-star wing, Johnny Juzang.

This past Friday, the day Jemarl Baker announced he would transfer from UK, John Calipari and Joel Justus visited Juzang in California and offered him a scholarship.

At 6-foot-6 and 200 pounds, Juzang has good size at the wing and is widely considered a top-25 recruit and an elite scorer in the 2020 class.

As a junior, Juzang averaged 22.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists on 43% FG and 35% from three.

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Recruiting guru, Evan Daniels of 24/7 Sports, is now reporting that Juzang is “seriously” considering reclassification to the 2019 class and will take a visit to Lexington on April 29th.

If Juzang were to reclassify he would need to obtain credits away from his current school Harvard-Westlake, as they do not have an early graduation program.

As more news comes out the Cats seem to be picking up more momentum, which is certainly promising as Juzang tweeted that he’s got a “big announcement” coming tomorrow night.

Virginia, USC, and Kansas are among other schools going after Juzang but Kentucky’s recent momentum has most believing the Wildcats are the favorite and his offense will be certainly welcomed in Lexington.

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Scouting Report: Just like Tyler Herro, Juzang is a natural born “bucket”. Juzang can score inside and out and everywhere in between using quick release jumpers, floaters, and scoop shots to score in the lane. Juzang also plays well off the ball and excels in catch and shoot situations. Juzang does lack athleticism and handling.

NBA Comparison: Dillon Brooks

Here is a video from October, with Juzang talking about Kentucky’s “winning” and “wanting to be a pro”.

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BB Recruiting

Kentucky Earns Commitment From European Big Andrija Jelavic

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ABA League j.t.d./Dragana Stjepanovic

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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