Another domino falls for Kentucky’s 2025-26′ roster, this time in the form of four star freshman guard Braydon Hawthorne’s commitment.

Hawthorne, a former WVU commit before the program’s coaching change, has slowly but surely risen on recruiting ranks nationwide, going from completely unranked to in the Top 100 across the board. On3 ranks him as the 48th-best of class recruit for 2025.

He chose Kentucky over a multitude of schools, from mid-majors to power four programs, with West Virginia appearing to have been the opposite frontrunner. Hawthorne’s commitment comes shortly after his official visit to Kentucky on Thursday, April 17, as well as after a trip to Virginia Tech, which took place the following day.

The 6’8″, 175 small forward will bring versatile wing play to a Kentucky team that has already loaded up on athleticism and size. His 7-foot-3 wingspan alone is enough to raise eyebrows, but beyond the numbers, Hawthorne is a pure scorer with an invisible ceiling.

Heading into Lexington as a true freshman, too, the Big Blue Nation might get used to seeing him around for a while. While the Mark Pope era thus far has been predominately focused on veteran talent, it’s important going forward to sprinkle in some future-proofing players too, and Hawthorne fits that bill and then some.

BBN can show their support to the newest Wildcat on X (@BraydonH20) and Instragram (@braydonhawthorne). With yet another highly-ranked recruit down, Pope has put together one of the most dangerous rosters in the country. Fall can’t come soon enough.

Before the 2025 season has even begun, Mark Pope and his staff have already found success on the recruiting trail for the following year, landing an early prediction for a five-star, top 10 prospect in the 2026 class.

Jason Crowe Jr., a 6-foot-3 guard out of California, is the sixth overall prospect in the nation – his preemptive connection to Kentucky runs through his father, Jason Crowe Sr., who was once a teammate of Kentucky assistant coach Jason Hart. Their lifelong friendship has certainly lent itself to the Cats’ favored standing with the high-scoring guard.

In an interview with KSR’s Jack Pilgrim, Crowe Jr. said “that’s like my uncle,” when speaking of Hart. “That’s just family right there…When you have people that you know there and you know how they move, they’re in there just to help you. Having him there, it definitely helps me look at Kentucky with a different eye.”

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. The aforementioned prediction came from reputed insider Joe Tipton who, despite not logging an official crystal ball for Crowe quite yet (he’s expected to commit much later this year), posted an early guess for the recruit in favor of the blue and white. UCLA, Arkansas, Texas, are also in notable pursuit, among others.

While Kentucky has been heavily rumored to be “in” on multiple players in the 2026-27 class, Crowe is the first to have been involved to such an extent. His eventual decision will be the center of attention for the Big Blue Nation when it does finally come.

Sometimes, home is where your connections are, and a big blue thread ties Crowe Jr. to Lexington.

The Kentucky-to-the-NBA pipeline has never been more alive, and former Cats are thriving.

At the start of the NBA playoffs, 14 former Kentucky Wildcats were poised to chase a championship, etching their name into the league’s history books.

Now, as the dust settles after two intense rounds, just four teams remain — each carrying a piece of Big Blue Nation with them.

In the Western Conference finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder, led by presumptive MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and sophomore Cason Wallace, will clash with Julius Randle and rookie Rob Dillingham of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Over in the East, Karl-Anthony Towns has helped lead the New York Knicks to their first conference finals appearance since 2000, where they’ll go head-to-head with the Indiana Pacers.

Though out with a torn Achilles, former Kentucky and current Pacers forward Isaiah Jackson remains a piece of the squad’s Cinderella run to a championship.

This impressive showing guarantees that a team with a former Kentucky Wildcat will win an NBA title for the eighth time since 2000, continuing a tradition carried by legends like Anthony Davis, Rajon Rondo and Jamal Murray.

The conference finals tip off with the Timberwolves heading down to face the Thunder in Oklahoma City on May 20 at 8:30 p.m. ET, followed by Pacers-Knicks at Madison Square Garden on May 21 at 8 p.m.

As of now, Gilgeous-Alexander and Wallace are favored to be the next Cats to win it all, with the Thunder holding the best odds at -180 to win the NBA Finals.

Whether it be a seasoned vet or a rising star, one thing holds true: Big Blue Nation will be represented on basketball’s biggest stage.