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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Scores Season-High 42 Points with Game Winner: Accomplishes Chamberlain-Jordan Like Feats

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Instagram/Oklahoma City Thunder

It has been evident that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has found his groove, being the centerpiece of a young and hopeful Oklahoma City Thunder Franchise.

On the season, Gilgeous-Alexander has been on an absolute tear, averaging 32.2 points on 54.6 percent shooting from the field, and pairing that stat line with 4.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game.

Through a player’s first 14 games of a season, Shai is just the 2nd player in NBA history to have ten 30-point games, while also shooting 50% from the field.

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The only other player to do that? Wilt Chamberlain – the guy who holds the 100-point single-game scoring record – in the 1962 season.

On Wednesday Night, against the home team Washington Wizards, Gilgeous-Alexander tallied a season-high 42 points to go alone with 6 rebounds, and 7 assists. That goes without saying, he also hit an impressive last-second 3-point shot to seal the game.

The record-breaking doesn’t stop there.

With his 42-point performance, Gilgeous-Alexander is now on pace to become only the second guard in NBA history to average at least 30 points per game on less than three attempts from three-point range since Michael Jordan.

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The NBA and the analysts involved are more than aware of the tear Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been on. JJ Reddick on his podcast, Old Man & The Three, went on a tangent (NSFW).

“You’re missing a f***king show if you’re not watching OKC.”

Here is a snippet of what Reddick had to say:

NSFW

At all levels, Gilegous-Alexander has exceeded expectations.

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Coming into Kentucky as the No. 31 overall recruit and presumed multi-year player, he became the Wildcat’s starting point guard and was drafted with the 11th pick after just one year.

As a rookie in the NBA, Gilgeous-Alexander was projected to be more of a role player/low-end starter. Now in his 5th season in the NBA, it’s safe to say that the 24-year-old guard looks to be an All-Star lock and continues to surpass expectations.

JJ Reddick said it best, Gilgeous-Alexander has been specular so far and is rising in talks for All-NBA First and Second Team honors. Who knows, if he continues to produce, and helps push Thunder into the playoffs (1 game behind), he could receive some MVP votes.

Also posted on GrandadsAtticMedia.com

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BB Recruiting

Kentucky Basketball Has Received a “Silent Commitment”, Per Report

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Overtime Elite/© Jenna Watson/IndyStar (IMAGN)

For the first two months of the offseason, Kentucky basketball waited in hopes of getting Oscar Tshiebwe to return, but it’s getting into crunch time and Kentucky must start finalizing their roster before they play in the GLBL Jam this Summer.

As of right now Kentucky only has seven scholarship players on their roster, including five freshmen and two sophomores. With that being said, two players from the class of 2023 are expecting to have official visits this week. One that includes Joey Hart, who many people are expecting to be committing this week to Kentucky, even Matt Jones of KSR tweeted about a commitment coming soon.

Although Jones never said who it was in that tweet, he later revealed it to be Joey Hart on Monday’s Kentucky Sports Radio show. Hart, a three-star shooting guard from the class of 2023, had an excellent end to his high school season – especially with his 3P shooting – and recently decommitted from UCF as he started to receive interest from more prestigious programs such as Kentucky, Indiana, and Texas among others.

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With that said, there is one other player that KY Insider has been told is “Kentucky’s to lose”.

Meet Jordan Burks, a 6-foot-9 forward who is also in the class of 2023, ranked as a three-star recruit. Playing at Overtime Elite, similar to Kentucky freshman Rob Dillingham, Burks was the league’s leading scorer. Following Kermit Davis’ firing from Ole Miss, Burks reopened his recruitment and is coming off a visit to Kentucky the last few days.

In a statement last week, John Calipari said “We’ve prepared for all scenarios”. The addition of Hart and Burks will certainly be good for depth, but the Wildcats still need to return Reeves and find one more high-impact player such as Arthur Kaluma.

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Men's Basketball

Source: Antonio Reeves To Meet With Staff On Monday To Discuss Future Plans

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© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Antonio Reeves announced he was withdrawing from the NBA Draft on Wednesday, but his intentions on whether or not to return to Kentucky were up in the air. Now, that remains the case, but a source told KY Insider on Friday that Reeves will be meeting with John Calipari on Monday to discuss his future plans.

Reeves has been contemplating a return to Kentucky, as both NIL and his role are major factors in his decision. There have also been multiple reports of a number of schools tampering with Reeves, even though he is not in the transfer portal, which in itself is interesting. That list of schools includes Illinois, Indiana, Memphis, Michigan, and Oklahoma.

A big decision for the basketball program, Reeves would be a much-needed shooting threat and veteran presence added to the current young team coming in. Kentucky’s No. 1 recruiting class needs veteran complementary pieces, and a star from last season’s team would certainly help.

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Regarding a timetable for an announcement, one could assume that it should come soon after his meeting with the staff early next week.

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Men's Basketball

Five Schools Allegedly “Tampering” as They Recruit Antonio Reeves to Transfer

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© Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

On Wednesday, Antonio Reeves was the lone Wildcat from last season to make the decision to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to college. While he is returning to college, which college is yet to be determined.

Reports started surfacing a few weeks ago that schools were allegedly starting to contact Reeves through “backchannels” in an effort to get the reigning SEC Sixth Man of the Year to transfer. That has continued up to today, with five schools said to have contacted Reeves and trying to recruit him to transfer: Illinois, Indiana, Memphis, Michigan, and Oklahoma.

There are two things to point out in this situation. For one, Reeves is not in the transfer portal, and two, he has yet to graduate to become a grad transfer. According to the NCAA, if another school outside of Kentucky is contacting Reeves, that is considered “tampering” and is against the rules. Given the current state of college athletics, which has been likened to the “Wild Wild West”, this should come as no surprise.

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Those around Reeves have said that his decision will primarily come down to two factors, role and NIL. From all sides, Reeves enjoyed his time and Kentucky last season, and those factors were met. Talking with KY Insider last season after the Kansas State game, Reeves said “I’d love to be back. I love the school. I love the fans. I love everybody here.”

John Calipari was expected to meet with Reeves but there have been no reports to confirm if that meeting has taken place. With that said, Reeves should certainly be Kentucky’s No. 1 priority given their need of shooting and a veteran presence.

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