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Kentucky Nearly a Consensus Top 5 Team in Way-Too-Early College Basketball Rankings

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Photo: USA TODAY Sports Images

In John Calipari’s time at Kentucky, the Cats have practically been a perennial preseason top-5 team. This upcoming season looks to be no different.

The Cats have the No.1 recruiting class coming in, which has been coined “not finished” by several commits, and potentially a talented graduate transfer. That’s not even taking account the four players that have difficult decisions to make: Nick Richards, Ashton Hagans, Immanuel Quickley and E.J. Montgomery.

Let’s see where Kentucky stacks up in the way-too-early college basketball rankings.

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3. Kentucky (24/7 Sports)

Projected Starting Lineup: Immanuel Quickley, Terrence Clarke, BJ Boston, Keion Brooks, EJ Montgomery
247Sports Composite recruiting class ranking: 1
Nick Richards, Ashton Hagans and Immanuel Quickley are all outside ESPN’s top 30, though it’s tough to see all three returning to Lexington, particularly after the gains made by Richards this past season. Quickley’s stock is a bit down from the other two — even with Hagans’ struggles this year — so we have him returning to the Wildcats. The SEC Player of the Year would be a preseason first-team All-American, and he’d have tons of help, thanks to a terrific recruiting class. If Quickley can’t go, Calipari will simply turn to yet another five-star point guard in Devin Askew, though the team’s ceiling would take a bit of a hit, and the Wildcats would be further from a finished product. Clarke could be a potential difference-maker, and Boston has continued to improve rapidly through the process. Brooks and Johnny Juzang could be the latest sophomores to bloom at Kentucky, while Montgomery will hope to follow in Richards’ footsteps as a player who turned star as a junior.

4. Kentucky (Fansided)

Shocker, Kentucky is bringing in another top recruiting class with a couple of five-stars who project to be starters but losing Tyrese Maxey will hurt. This is nothing new to John Calipari and he’s still waiting on the decisions from Nick RichardsAshton HagansImmanuel Quickley and E.J. Montgomery. If a few of those guys come back, Kentucky could approach that No. 1 spot.

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4. Kentucky (USA Today)

Coach John Calipari has only one projected NBA lottery pick in Tyrese Maxey this offseason, meaning he could see top players Immanuel Quickley, Nick Richards, and Ashton Hagans return from a team he considered good enough to win a national title. If they do come back, it’s a bonus. That’s because the Wildcats will have another star-studded freshman class that includes five-stars Terrence Clarke and BJ Boston.

5. Kentucky (ESPN)

This might be the team with the most up in the air in terms of the NBA draft. As a projected lottery pick, Tyrese Maxey is likely to go pro. But Ashton HagansNick Richards and Immanuel Quickley are all ranked in the Nos. 45-60 range in ESPN’s NBA draft rankings — so all three could go either way. Richards and Quickley were two of the best players in the SEC this season, with both enjoying breakout campaigns. Hagans is an elite defensive point guard who had some offensive inconsistencies late in the season. And here’s a surprise: John Calipari is bringing in the No. 1 recruiting class in the country. Five-star wings B.J. Boston and Terrence Clarke could start immediately, and five-star point guard Devin Askew will step in if Hagans leaves. Four-star Isaiah Jackson will provide some rim protection. Kentucky could theoretically be the preseason No. 1 if everyone returns, but there’s a lot left to play out in Lexington.

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7. Kentucky (NBC Sports)

  • GONE: Nate Sestina, Tyrese Maxey, Nick Richards, Ashton Hagans
  • COMING BACK: Keion Brooks, Johnny Juzang, Dontaie Allen
  • WAIT AND SEE: Immanuel Quickley, E.J. Montgomery
  • NEW FACES: B.J. Boston, Terrence Clarke, Devin Askew, Isaiah Jackson, Lance Ware, Cam’Ron Fletcher
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Devin Askew, Terrence Clarke, B.J. Boston, Keion Brooks, E.J. Montgomery

My assumption is that Tyrese Maxey, Nick Richards and Ashton Hagans probably end up going pro. I think Immanuel Quickley is 50-50, but if a Kentucky player is 50-50, I’ll work under the context that the player is gone until he’s coming back. What that leaves is another loaded recruiting class. I love the combination of Terrence Clarke and Brandon Boston on the wings, and Devin Askew should be able to step in and handle point guard duties if Quickley is gone. Once again, the question is going to be in the frontcourt. Will Keion Brooks and E.J. Montgomery make the leap next year? Can Isaiah Jackson or Lance Ware take over the starting role?

It looks like Kentucky will have a ton of depth and experience next season, but can they bring title No. 9 to Lexington?

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BB Recruiting

Kentucky Has Contacted Nation’s Leading Scorer, Four-Star Transfer Jaron Pierre Who Is “Definitely” Interested in the Cats

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Jacksonville State transfer Jaron Pierre has been contacted by Kentucky.
Jacksonville State Athletics

There are more than a thousand players in the transfer portal, meaning names are flying left and right. As of April 1st, Kentucky has one commitment in Kam Williams (Tulane), and is projected to land top 25 transfer Magoon Gwath (San Diego State).

That said, the Kentucky staff has been in contact with more than a dozen players, and there is another notable player to add to that list.

KY Insider can report that Kentucky has contacted Jaron Pierre from Jacksonville State. Pierre is currently a four-star transfer prospect and ranked as the 34th ranked prospect in 247Sports‘ transfer portal rankings.

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At Jacksonville State last season, Pierre scored more points than anyone else in college basketball (777 points), averaging 21.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists while shooting 38.2% from 3-point range (9.0 attempts per game). He scored 30 points or more in six games, and only had one game where he did not score in double digits. His impressive play earned him Conference USA Player of the Year honors.

Pierre also had prior stops at Southern Miss and Wichita State, where he spent two years at each school, and will be going into his sixth season of college basketball. Pierre has also declared for the NBA Draft, but is not currently projected on any mock drafts.

While still early in his recruitment, Pierre tells KY Insider that he is “definitely” interested in Kentucky, but no Zoom meeting or visit has been scheduled.

“I love it Big Blue Nation,” Pierre said of the Kentucky program. He also really liked what Mark Pope was able to do in his first season in Lexington. “He was able to pick up right where it left off.”

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The level of competition is always a question when evaluating a mid-major talent, but Pierre’s athleticism jumps off the page and a 38.2% clip from three on nine attempts per game is nothing to slight at.

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BB Recruiting

Kentucky Receives First Transfer Commitment From Top 25 Prospect, “Not Many People Get Opportunities Like This”

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Kentucky transfer Kam Williams prepares to shoot.

While all the attention is on Kentucky’s matchup with Tennessee in the Sweet Sixteen, the transfer portal officially opened on Monday and the staff has been hard at work.

Already tossing a wide net, reaching out to nearly a dozen guys in the past few days, the Cats have reeled in their first commitment from Top 25 ranked (247Sports), four-star transfer Kam Williams from Tulane.

With a 6-8, 190-pound frame, Williams has good size. What caught the staff’s eye is his ELITE shooting ability, shooting better than 41 percent this past season and that includes 17 threes made beyond 25 feet. He excels best in catch-and-shoot situations, where he ranks in the 94th percentile.

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Williams received interest from many schools in addition to Kentucky, such as Florida, Louisville, and St. John’s among others. Why did Williams commit to Kentucky so quickly?

“Not many people get opportunities like this, so I wanted to pull the trigger fast,” Williams told ESPN. “More people are waiting to fill that spot, so I had to take advantage.”

“My dream is to play in the NBA. Kentucky’s culture and background shows that they care about their players, especially developing them into the best players they can be.”

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Kentucky Named a Finalist for Five Star, Top 5 NBA Prospect Nate Ament

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2025 top five prospect Nate Ament on his visit to Kentucky.
UK Athletics

Mark Pope has received three top-35 commitments in his first high school recruiting class, including two high 4-star commits in Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno.

However, his first top-10 prospect still eludes him after missing out on Caleb Wilson last month… at least for now.

Over the last few weeks, Pope and his staff have focused heavily on top-five prospect Nate Ament.

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Ament, the second-ranked power forward in the 2025 class, cut his list down to five schools earlier this week: Duke, Louisville, Tennessee, Arkansas, and the Kentucky Wildcats.

The 6-foot-9 prospect has visited each of them except Arkansas over the last five months, with a decision expected in the next month or so. Where does each program stand?

According to Joe Tipton of On3, Louisville and Duke have “positioned themselves” the best in this recruitment, giving Pat Kesley and the Cardinals a slight lead. However, there is still time, and one thing that could shake things up the most is NIL, reported to be one of Ament’s biggest priorities.

Elsewhere at On3, Jamie Shaw did his own update, where he said this could be down to a Kentucky vs. Louisville battle.

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“Speaking with sources at this point in time it does sound like there is a split room around Nate Ament with Duke, Louisville, and Kentucky. With the intel I am currently getting, I would not be surprised to see this ultimately come down to a Kentucky and Louisville battle,” Shaw wrote, later adding that a decision could come in the next few weeks.

Ament is fresh off a visit to Kentucky, where he saw Rupp Arena at its best as the Wildcats completed the season sweep of Tennessee. That being his most recent visit, along with Pope visiting for Ament’s Senior night, the hope is it made a lasting impact, but will it be enough?

Time will tell, but the Cats are a legitimate contender to land Ament.

Be sure to read Shaw’s update here.

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Also posted on A Sea of Blue.

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