BB Recruiting

John Calipari Goes Into Detail for Each Player In Historic Recruiting Class

Published

11 months ago

November 16, 2022

UK Athletics

In recent seasons, John Calipari hasn’t been recruiting – at least high school prospects – at his typical level. Pair this with the worst record in program history and then losing to Saint Peter’s in back-to-back seasons, many have questioned if Cal still has ‘it’.

If college basketball needed an answer, Calipari has given one with the 2023 recruiting class, which may be the best of his career.

On Monday afternoon, Kentucky added their Crown Jewel of the 2023 class, No. 1 prospect DJ Wagner, who will join his high school teammate Aaron Bradshaw (No. 6), and fellow 2023 five-star recruits Justin Edwards (No. 2), Robert Dillingham (No. 9), and Reed Sheppard (No. 29).

Together, they form the No. 1 overall class for 2023, with four prospects ranked in the top 10.

Following Wagner’s commitment, Calipari released a statement where he talked about each of his star recruits for next season. Let’s see what he had to say.

Note: Rankings based off 247Sports.

DJ Wagner (No. 1 overall, No. 1 CG)

“I have known D.J. his entire life and I’ve always wanted to coach him. Above all he is a competitor. He attacks the offensive end and is a versatile scorer, but he is equally as tough on defense. I love the spirit he’ll bring to practice every day, and I love that he wanted to be at Kentucky. He knows that to get the best of himself, he needs to be surrounded by other talented players who are going to match his competitive energy.”

Justin Edwards (No. 2 overall, No. 1 SF)

“Justin has the ability to impact the game in a variety of ways. He has terrific size, can play multiple positions and can score the ball at all three levels. I really like how active he is defensively and his desire to rebound every ball. He already has a great understanding that he can positively impact winning without scoring. That isn’t something you can teach, and I know Justin is going to demand the same of his teammates.”

Aaron Bradshaw (No. 6 overall, No. 2 C)

“The most impactful trait we can have on the defensive end is the ability to block shots, and Aaron is elite at that. He also has all of the tools that a versatile big in today’s game needs. Aaron’s motor continues to improve, he has great size and mobility. As a 7-footer, he can change the game on both ends of the court. He has a high ceiling and has only begun to scratch the surface of the kind of player he can be.”

Robert Dillingham (No. 9 overall, No. 2 PG)

“Our best teams have had really good guards and this class has that. Rob has the ability to make good decisions, can create for others or get his own shot. He can make contested layups, which opens the court for him offensively. He is an extremely efficient scorer, but I’m excited about the fact that Rob wants to be pushed by other really good guards on our roster and continue to develop his versatility by playing with or without the ball in his hands.”

Reed Sheppard (No. 29 overall, No. 9 CG)

“I know playing for Kentucky has been a dream of Reed’s ever since he was a child. But, Reed isn’t here because he wanted to be here. He’s here because he’s a really good player who can help this team win. He has terrific fundamentals and is the kind of player who can excel on or off the ball. I love his work ethic and the fact that he wants to be pushed on the biggest of stages to reach his full potential.”

While the 2023 class is loaded with talent and will be exciting to watch, we are still away from seeing together on the court.

However, with this roster and next season’s roster, John Calipari has the opportunity to send a big-time message.

Related Topics:Aaron Bradshaw DJ Wagner John Calipari Justin Edwards Reed Sheppard Robert Diillingham

BB Recruiting

John Calipari Visits Trio of Top Recruits

Published

9 hours ago

October 3, 2023

Tristan Pharis

UK Athletics

With less than two weeks until Big Blue Madness, the start of the Kentucky basketball season is just around the corner. Ahead of a season with a lot of pressure, John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcat staff were busy on the recruiting trail in New York to start the week.

The day started off with taking a visit to see 2024 combo guard Boogie Fland. This being the fourth in-person visit to Fland over the last three weeks, it is clear that he is a top priority for the Cats and that is reciprocated as Fland listed the Wildcats in his top three last week along with the Alabama Crimson Tide and Indiana Hoosiers. Fland is expected to make a decision in the early signing period, which begins on November 8th.

With that said, coverage of Fland’s recruitment has been well-reported, but while in New York, Calipari paid a visit to two more top recruits, VJ Edgecombe and Alier Maluk who both play for Long Island Lutheran (NY).

VJ Edgecombe

Edgecombe is one of the fastest-rising prospects in the 2024 class. As of March this year, he was ranked outside of the Top 100, fast forward to now and he is a consensus top 10 prospect and considered to be the No. 2 shooting guard in the class. When you see his explosive athleticism, catch-and-shoot ability, and natural basketball instincts it is easy to see why.

Watching closely for a while, the Wildcats extended an offer last month, a month and a half after Edgecombe trimmed his list to ten. While late to the party, Kentucky is not giving up and joins the likes of Alabama, Duke, St. Johns, and G-League Ignite among others in pursuit of the talented guard.

Alier Maluk

Early this summer Alier Maluk was considered a top-25 prospect, but following the grassroots season Maluk dropped in the rankings to just inside the top 50. That said, that isn’t stopping the Wildcats from still showing interest as they have since he was 15 years old, and for good reason, Maluk is one of the most intriguing big men in the class.

At 6-foot-10, 180 pounds, Maluk is a dynamic two-way prospect and can be looked at as a “modern” big man. Well-known for his shot-blocking and rim-running ability, Maluk is also capable of shooting off the catch and the dribble. That said, his handle needs some development as he hopes to continue to develop as a stretch-four. That said, height and skill run in the family as Maluk is the cousin of 7-foot-2 center Bol Bol, who currently plays in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns.

It should be noted that Kentucky has yet to extend an offer to Maluk, who currently holds offers from Florida, Ohio State, and Oregon among others.

Also published on A Sea of Blue.

BB Recruiting

John Calipari Looking To Close Deal On Five-Star Guard Boogie Fland

Published

1 day ago

October 2, 2023

Wyatt Huff

John Calipari is looking to close the deal and get a commitment from five-star guard Boogie Fland.

Fland: © Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK | Calipari: UK Athletics/Chet White

One of the top players in the class, top-ranked guard Boogie Fland has begun taking his visits, and is still taking time with his recruitment, but John Calipari and Kentucky are making a hard push to get the star guard locked up.

Fresh off of a visit to Kentucky a few weeks ago, Fland also had an in-home visit conducted by John Calipari last week after Kentucky watched him at Archbishop Stepinac in New York. On Monday, Calipari and Orlando Antigua paid him another visit. Kentucky is making sure he knows that he is the top priority among guards in the class of 2024.

Along with his visit to Lexington, Fland recently visited Alabama. The two schools are part of Fland’s final three schools along with Indiana as he nears closer to a decision.

Fland is known to be one of the more elite scorers in the class with an ability to score from all three levels, and Kentucky is making him a top priority. Four visits in three weeks show that the staff really likes him and are looking to close the deal.

Take a look at this mic’d up highlight video of the potential future Wildcat to get to know him and his game.

BB Recruiting

International Prospect Zvonimir Ivisic Now a “Long Shot” to Play at Kentucky

Published

3 weeks ago

September 15, 2023

Austin Atkins

Instagram/Zvonimir Ivisic

When Ivisic originally committed to UK on August 1st, there was plenty of excitement around the program for the 7-foot Croatian to be a key piece on this year’s team.

Ever since then though, it’s only gone downhill as every single day we are hearing less good things about Ivisic’s situation. This is reportedly because of an English equivalency exam, so he still has not been accepted into the university’s admissions.

While the optimism was still he would end up on the team, a lot of the believer’s hopes took a big hit when 247Sports national recruiting analyst Travis Branham had an appearance on KSR’s Sources Say podcast.

Branham had a tough quote saying, “To be honest, I’m not banking on him being on this roster next year. I think it’s a very longshot bet”. Hearing this from a person as connected to recruiting as Branham is very concerning.

He goes on to talk about how it’s not very cut and dry on why he wouldn’t end up at Kentucky calling it a “Hail Mary” that Kentucky would have to connect on to even get the Croatian admitted to Kentucky.

Ivisic is projected as a potential first-rounder in the 2024 NBA draft and averaged 11.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks for Croatia at the FIBA U20 European Championships in Greece in July.

The 7-footer’s skills would be a big help to this year’s Kentucky basketball team with the injury of Aaron Bradshaw this offseason, the depth in the frontcourt is much needed for the Wildcats right now.

If they are unable to figure out this situation and get him in a Kentucky jersey this upcoming season, it will be a huge mistake by UK admissions.