BB Recruiting

Kentucky and Louisville Battling for 2024 Five-Star Recruit, Karter Knox

Published

3 years ago

April 16, 2023

Five-star wing, Karter Knox remains a top-20 prospect in the class of 2024. He just finished his junior season at Tampa Catholic (Fla.) where he and his team fell just short of a state championship.

Knox is ranked as the No. 15 prospect via 247Sports. He stands 6-foot-6 with a college-ready build. His older brother, Kevin Knox, currently plays in the NBA and previously played at Kentucky for a single season in 2017-18.

In a recent interview with 247Sports, Karter discussed his recruitment and his development as a player.

In the interview, Knox tells of how this high school season and his experience with USA basketball have helped him grow as a leader.

“I became more of a leader, learned to talk more and a lot of that is thanks to the work I’ve done with USA Basketball and them teaching me to get out of my comfort zone and be more of a leader.”

“Skill wise I’ve definitely improved on my ball handling,” Knox told 247Sports. “During the season coach had me dribbling the ball up the court and I’m definitely better at playmaking and coming off the pick and roll and stuff. I really want to work on guarding more positions and being more of a pest. They say offense sells the tickets and defense wins championships so I want to be a two-way, all-around player.”

The two in-state rivals, Kentucky and Louisville, remain at the forefront as favorites to land Knox. He has strong connections to both programs.

On Kentucky, Knox says, “It was crazy. I went for Big Blue Madness so the fans were going crazy. Everybody was trying to get me to go there talking to me “Karter come here, Karter go here” type stuff. They have a great coaching staff. The players over there were great and they loved each other like brothers so it was really good. Coach [John] Calipari loves me and he treats me like family. He’s known me since I was 12 years old so he’s almost more like an uncle.”

When asked about Louisville, Knox said, “Coach [Kenny] Payne, I’ve known him a long time. Ever since Kevin was being recruited I’ve been around him so since I was like 12 years old. He really helped my big brother get to the NBA. You know he snapped on him when he needed to, got him out of his comfort zone and he’s like another uncle to me. What stood out on the visit was the coaching. They are a really great coaching staff. They weren’t as good as a team in the first year but I’m worried about the future. That first season is in the past, I’m not worried about that.”

Due to his strong connections to Kentucky and Louisville, some programs have hesitated in their recruitment of Knox. Even though he does have strong established connections to the two programs, Knox has made it clear that he is very open to other programs. At this time, Knox is just “waiting for a phone call from them.”

Currently, Knox says that he has not made a top list of schools yet and is in no rush to make a decision.

“I want this to be my decision,” Knox explains. “I want a school to have good coaching and I’d really like them to have good fans. A strong fanbase and coaching staff, that’s really all I want.”

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.