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2024 Kentucky Commit Somto Cyril Comments on Potential Reclass to 2023

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UK Athletics

In June, Kentucky earned their first commitment of the 2024 class from big man Somto Cyril. However, prior to his commitment, he was long seen as a potential reclass candidate for the Wildcats.

With injuries to both of Kentucky’s big men, Aaron Bradshaw and Ugonna Onyenso, the roster could use some depth. With that said, is reclassification still an option? According to Cyril, he is leaving that door open.

On Wednesday, while playing for Team Overtime in The Basketball Tournament, he was asked by reporters if he still plans to arrive at Kentucky in 2024, rather than reclass. “As of now, yes,” Cyril said.

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He then talked about how much a second year at Overtime Elite would help him prepare for college. “I’ve gotten so much better since I’ve been at Overtime Elite, and I feel like one extra year could help me,” he told reporters. “I want to be at (UK) and help them any way I could, to win championships, just win games overall. So I feel like the more time I spend at OTE can help me be a better player.”

While Cyril could certainly improve with another season at Overtime Elite (OTE), the potential for improvement would be greater within a top-tier D-1 program like Kentucky if he were to reclass. Even if Bradshaw and Onyenso do return and stay healthy for the entire season, getting that experience within the program could be valuable for the 2024-25 season.

However, there is one potential roadblock. Despite graduating from OTE in the Spring, there are still “1-2 classes” that Cyril would need to complete to be academically eligible to reclass, reported by Jack Pilgrim of Kentucky Sports Radio.

With that said, Cyril is close enough that the hurdle shouldn’t be too much to overcome if John Calipari and the staff want to bring him in this season, which is something Calipari isn’t closing the door on either.

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Prior to GLOBL JAM, Calipari was asked about the potential of adding anyone else to the roster. To which he said, “Will we do anything else? I don’t believe so, but what if this happens and that happens? Maybe we would. It’s a little different environment.”

Whether Cyril joins in 2023 or 2024, Kentucky is getting a physically imposing player that can impact the game with his rebounding and defense.

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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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