BB Recruiting

Kentucky Signees DJ Wagner And Justin Edwards Participate In Nike Hoops Summit

Published

3 years ago

April 10, 2023

Twitter

On Saturday night, Kentucky signees DJ Wagner and Justin Edwards represented Team USA in the Nike Hoops Summit, facing off against Team World in front of scouts from all 30 NBA teams. This time, the Cats didn’t steal the show like the McDonald’s All-American game, but still had good performances.

Similar to the McDonald’s All-American game, the game was a close one, with Team USA escaping with a 90-84 win. Team World was led by Duke signee Mackenzie Mgbako with 22 points, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the team effort from Team USA. Led by Texas signee Ron Holland who had 15 points, Team USA had seven players record double-figures, including Edwards and Wagner.

Let’s examine each player’s performance.

Justin Edwards finished with 10 points and 5 rebounds.

DJ Wagner

Despite not being the star of the game, Wagner impacted in other areas than just scoring, finishing with 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block. He excelled at finding open teammates in the right spot – even when it didn’t necessarily translate to an assist – and did a good job rebounding as well.

The most impressive part of Wagner’s performance was that 5 of his 10 points came in the last quarter, again showing that he can deliver in clutch moments. Wagner’s ability to get to the rim and his alpha-dog mentality will be much welcomed in Lexington next season.

DJ Wagner attacking down-hill and finishing with the left while showing the burst pic.twitter.com/Gq1X6iQzcx— Aram Cannuscio (@AC__Hoops) April 9, 2023

Justin Edwards

Similar to his Kentucky teammate, Edwards had a solid game, finishing with 10 points and 5 rebounds. This is indicative of the type of player Edwards is, an understated but well-rounded player. Edwards’ impact on the game was most felt as hustled for key rebounds and used his length to get key stops toward the end.

One of the more promising things to see from Edwards was his first bucket, which included a fast break three in the 2nd quarter. Edwards put his skills on display in Thursday’s Team USA practice.

Kentucky-commit Justin Edwards showed off his explosiveness, perimeter shooting and versatile all-around game at the Nike Hoop Summit practice in front of a packed house of NBA executives this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/78xBo17uHn— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 7, 2023

Regardless of not being the stars of the game, the pair of Kentucky signees have already made an impression on Big Blue Nation, and further prove they can impact the game in many different ways.

Related Topics:DJ Wagner Justin Edwards Nike USA

BB Recruiting

Kentucky Basketball Receives Prediction to Land International Star Nikola Kusturica

Published

2 days ago

June 17, 2026

Tristan Pharis

Kentucky basketball has taken over as the favorite for Serbian star Nikola Kusturica, a projected lottery pick in 2028, with a prediction backing the Wildcats.

Just when many believed Kentucky’s roster was complete in terms of contributing players, Mark Pope might have an ace up his sleeve.

Last week, it was reported that Kentucky was among the frontrunners to land 6-foot-8 Serbian wing Nikola Kusturica. At the time, Gonzaga was thought to be the team to beat, having a more defined role to offer, compared to Kentucky, who has one remaining roster spot and a good amount of depth in wing positions.

Since then, things have shifted in a big way.

Gonzaga received a commitment from 18-year-old French guard Juwan Ekanga-Ehawa on Sunday. By Tuesday night, the Wildcats received a Crystal Ball prediction from 247Sports’ Travis Branham to land Kusturica, with a confidence level of 7 out of 10.

The 6-foot-8 wing currently plays for FC Barcelona in Spain’s Liga ACB and EuroLeague system. He just turned 17 years old and is reportedly seeking a two-year college opportunity before becoming draft-eligible in 2028, where he is already being projected as a lottery pick.

The on-court résumé speaks for itself. In the 2025 FIBA U16 EuroBasket, he averaged 20 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game while leading Serbia to a championship and was named tournament MVP. He also helped Barcelona capture the Adidas NextGen Finals championship last month, posting 20 points and 10 rebounds in the title game against Real Madrid.

Next, Kusturica will represent Serbia in the FIBA U17 World Cup from June 27 to July 5, and a college decision could come before then.

Mark Pope is carrying a lot of momentum in recent weeks after retaining Malachi Moreno and adding Milan Momcilovic to this season’s roster, as well as landing the first top 10 prospect of his career in Ryan Hampton. If he can close on Kusturica, that would cap off the roster in a significant way and continue to change the narrative around his recruiting ability.

BB Recruiting

Kentucky Earns Commitment From No. 6 Prospect in 2027 Class Ryan Hampton

Published

2 weeks ago

June 7, 2026

Kai McClelland

Photo via UK Athletics

How about a Sunday boom in the recruiting world for you BBN?

Ryan Hampton, the No. 6 overall prospect in the 2027 class, has officially committed to the University of Kentucky! This is Mark Pope’s first top-10 prospect that he’s earned a commitment from.

Hailing from Rockwall, Texas, Hampton recently took an official visit to campus with his family, which began on Friday, June 5 and spilled into Sunday, June 7, his commitment day.

The five-star wing averaged 21.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game during the most recent EYBL Circuit, playing for LivOn and Nightrydas.

Hampton was the first recruit in the 2027 to officially visit with the Wildcats, and now he’s the first to call their shot early and choose the blue and white.

Pope has signed Milan Momcilovic, the No. 2 ranked transfer, and Hampton, his first top-10 high school prospect just in the past week.

It’s been a crazy week for recruiting, with the narrative around Pope’s ability slowing fading as the top guys continue to be attracted to the Kentucky brand.

BB Recruiting

Fast Riser Big Man Yann Kamagate Receives Scholarship Offer From Kentucky

Published

1 month ago

May 18, 2026

Tristan Pharis

Fresh off the first live recruiting period of the offseason, Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats have extended their first scholarship offer of the 2028 class.

Yann Kamagate, a prospect who went from unranked to the top five in 247Sports’ most recent recruiting rankings, received an offer from the Wildcats, he confirmed to KY Insider on Monday.

“Not everyone gets the chance to be seen by greatness,” Kamagate told KY Insider. “I’m grateful for the offer from Kentucky.”

Kentucky assistant coach Mikhail McLean, who works with the Wildcats’ big men and their development, watched Kamagate first-hand this past weekend in the Adidas 3SSB circuit in Mishawaka, Indiana.

The 7-foot big man was the talk of the weekend, displaying a high motor, extreme athleticism — a reported 7-9 winspam — and great feel for the game. On the circuit, he is averaging 13.9 points, a circuit-leading 10.4 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game.

Originally from the West African country of Burkina Faso, Kamagate moved to the United States just a year ago and has only been playing basketball for three years. Now, he is challenging for the top spot in the 2028 class.

He is currently represented by former NBA player and UCLA star Luc Mbah a Moute. Which is relevant as he is currently playing for the California Adidas team, Compton Magic, and attends La Cañada Flintridge (Calif.) St. Francis.

The offer is the latest signal that Mark Pope’s staff is casting a wide and aggressive net this offseason, and targeting players whose trajectories are trending sharply upward. Kamagate fits that profile exactly.