BB Recruiting

Takeaways from the McDonald’s All-American Game

Published

5 years ago

March 28, 2019

The 42^nd McDonald’s All-American game was played last night in Atlanta. Kentucky is no stranger McDonald’s All-Americans, signing 33 since Calipari arrived in Lexington in 2009, the most of any school in that span. Last night’s game featured two more committed Wildcats, Tyrese Maxey and Khalil Whitney, and two UK targets, Jaden McDaniels and Matthew Hurt.

Let’s take a deeper look at one of the most enjoyable weeks in High School Basketball.

The Duo

Thus far, Kentucky is the only school in the country with more than one five-star commitment, the Wildcats have three. Two of the commits were featured in last night’s game, Tyrese Maxey and Khalil Whitney.

Tyrese Maxey scored a team-high 13 points on 5 of 10 shooting, including 3 of 6 three-pointers to go along with a pair of steals in 19 minutes of action for the West. Whereas, Whitney, who also played for the West, didn’t have his strongest performance finishing with only two points on 1 of 5 shooting in 15 minutes.

Maxey turned heads all week, and according to 24/7 Sports’ Evan Daniels and Josh Gershon, was THE standout player.

“It’s been a good week for 6-foot-3 combination guard Tyrese Maxey. Maxey showed up at the McDonald’s festivities in arguably the best shape of his basketball career. He looks visibly quicker and showed a burst in the open court. He also impressed with his finishing ability going towards the goal. Maxey was effective using runners and floaters, and also used high glass finishes over bigger defenders at the rim. A versatile guard, Kentucky can use him on or off the ball, as he’s playmaker that’s equipped to score on handle on ball duties.”

Whitney has a “dog mentality” and is excited to be a Wildcat, calling Kentucky his “dream school”. Whitney brings elite level athleticism, power, agility and leaping ability and according to John Calipari, can be a “monster” on the defensive end.

Tyrese Maxey and Khalil Whitney could be an electric De’aron Fox and Malik Monk like duo and I am ready for it.

Talking Trash

Tyrese Maxey and Khalil Whitney did their share of trash talking, particularly to Louisville commit, Samuell Williamson as he went on to say:

“Oh yeah, we’ve been going back and forth all week. I was telling them that we’re going to come into Rupp Arena next year and get a win, but Tyrese and Kahlil weren’t having that.”

They weren’t having that, Whitney went on to say “It’ll be a fun matchup going against those guys next year”, but when asked about who will win that matchup he said “Kentucky” with a grin.

Maxey was asked the same question and was insulted that was even a question.

“What? What kind of question is that?” he said. “Big Blue Nation, man.”

Talking trash to “little brother” at the McDonald’s All-American game isn’t anything new. If you remember, the 2016 class that featured De’Aron Fox, Malik Monk, Bam Adebayo, and Sach Kileya-Jones took this infamous “L’s down” picture.

Recruiting

Kentucky needs to add some more depth to next year’s frontcourt, and last night there were two very worth UK targets that could fill that void, Jaden McDaniels and Matthew Hurt.

Both have been very quiet about their recruitments thus far, but we found out earlier this week Hurt had set a decision date.

While Hurt and his family have been quiet, they aren’t afraid to talk about it.

Hurt will decide on April 19^th between the four most successful progams in college basketball history in Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, and North Carolina. While things look bleak for the Cats, Hurt’s father said there is no current leader in his recruitment and that “they [Kentucky] haven’t wavered in that at all. At all”.

Contrary to Hurt, McDaniels wants to stay away from it and keep to himself, saying, “I just don’t like talking about it, it’s just something I don’t talk about”.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that two Wildcat commits are making their pitches to the two in Atlanta, letting them know they can be a part of something special in Lexington.

Maxey and Whitney have tried to keep a balance of space and recruiting with the two and not to overbear them.

Maxey

“I know when someone has been annoying to me, so that’s why I only hit him up every now and then. Like if there’s a tweet that comes out or something that I see, when I see him in person, I’ll just tap him and say ‘Big Blue Nation’, I try not to be overly annoying because I wouldn’t like that.”

Whitney

“I’m recruiting both Matthew Hurt and Jaden McDaniels. Those guys are pretty chill with their recruitments. But they’ll give me a couple chuckles, you know, I’ll tell them, ‘Hey, we can team up and win a national championship’ and stuff like that. But they definitely tell me that Kentucky is a top option and we’re just waiting to see their decision.”

McDaniels and Hurt are two very offensively skilled big men, and adding just one to next year’s class will definitely help make a case to put the 2019 class as one of Calipari’s best at Kentucky.

Check out this Rivals interview with both Tyrese Maxey and Khalil Whitney

BB Recruiting

Top 25 Transfer Otega Oweh Commits to Kentucky

Published

21 hours ago

April 27, 2024

Tristan Pharis

Oklahoma Sooners transfer Otega Oweh has comitted to play basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.

NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Following Lamont Butler’s commitment to Kentucky on Friday, the Wildcats have received another commitment less than 24 hours later. This time Oklahoma transfer Otega Oweh, he announced on his social media.

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This comes after Oweh visited Lexington earlier this week, with reports coming out that his recruitment could be wrapped up quickly after.

Oweh is a top 25 transfer according to 247Sports, 38th by EvanMiya, and 55th by ESPN. Listed at 6-5, 210 pounds, Oweh is a strong and physical guard. His strength and athleticism have been a strength dating back to high school, which allows him to impact the game defensively, and also to get to the rim and thrive in transition opportunities.

In two years at Oklahoma, the area that Oweh has significantly improved in has been his shooting. As a freshman, he shot just 25 percent from three, on just four attempts for the season, to 37.7 percent as a sophomore, making 20 of his 53 attempts. Most of that success comes from catch-and-shoot opportunities, where he rates in the 87th percentile. His ability to shoot off the dribble is the polar opposite, rating in just the 4th percentile.

Oweh is a two-way player with two years of eligibility remaining, while he will bring experience, there is still room for development with NBA upside. While he may not be a primary option, he’s certainly a player that can impact the game.

Oweh is now Kentucky’s third addition from the transfer portal and sixth player overall. A handful of top transfers are visiting, or currently visiting, Kentucky this weekend. The staff is hopeful a few join the roster.

BB Recruiting

REPORT: San Diego State Transfer Lamont Butler Commits to Kentucky

Published

2 days ago

April 26, 2024

Tristan Pharis

San Diego State transfer Lamont Butler has committed to play basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Amidst anxiety from many of the Big Blue Nation, the Kentucky basketball program has added another player to the roster. On Friday Lamont Butler, a consensus top-60 transfer from San Diego State, committed to Kentucky, reported by On3.

Kentucky has been in contact with Butler since he entered the portal earlier this week. On Friday morning, four members of the Kentucky staff took a visit to Las Vegas, which we know now was to see Butler. It was enough to secure his commitment.

Coming out of a high school as a three-star prospect, Butler has been a true case of development. In four seasons with San Diego State, he improved his numbers year after year. As a three-year starter for the Aztecs, Butler averaged 7.7 points (41.2% FG), 2.6 assists, and 2.3 rebounds. He also received Mountain West All-Defense honors three straight seasons, winning the Defensive Player of the Year award this past year.

Butler was a star for the San Diego State team that made it to the National Championship game in 2023, even hitting the buzzer-beater to send them to the title game. He will provide Kentucky with proven experience and the knowledge of what it takes to win.

As his defensive accolades show, Butler makes his biggest impact on the defensive side of the ball. However, he plays well within a system and is a really good passer for a guard who plays primarily off the ball, with a 21 percent assist rate. He also grades fairly well analytically on spot-up shots and in pick-and-roll situations as the ball handler.

With Butler on the roster, there are still many spots to fill, especially some spots for “dudes”. Fortunately, many big names are expected to be in Lexington this weekend for the visit.

BB Recruiting

Kentucky to Host Multiple Top Transfers This Weekend

Published

3 days ago

April 25, 2024

Tristan Pharis

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats are hosting multiple top transfers this weekend for visits, looking to add to their roster.

With the deadline for players to enter the portal coming up on May 1st, Kentucky nearly has all their options on the table. Now two weeks since taking the job, Mark Pope has expressed interest in nearly two dozen names and has been keying in on some top names in the portal.

As of writing this article, top 25 transfer Otega Oweh (Oklahoma), is currently on a visit to Lexington, with three more players set to visit this weekend. There’s a good chance that some of those visits turn into commitments.

Let’s take a look at those names.

Deivon Smith – Guard, Utah

Physicals: 6’0, 173 lbs
Stats: 13.3 PPG, 7.1 APG, 6.3 RPG, 46.% FG, 40.8% 3P
Ranking: 10th (Evan Miya), 38rd (247Sports)

Kentucky has had just three players record a triple-double in program history. Deivon Smith recorded five triple-doubles this past season alone, the second-most all-time for a single season in NCAA history.

While undersized, he is one of the best all-around guards in the country, as his numbers show. It’s still early, but Kentucky getting the first visit is significant. St. John’s and Texas Tech have also been mentioned here.

Andrej Stojaković – Guard, Stanford

Physicals: 6’7, 190 lbs
Stats: 7.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 40.9% FG, 32.7% 3P
Ranking: 183rd (Evan Miya), 51st (247Sports)

Stojakovic is the son of former NBA All-Star, Peja Stojakovic. A familiar name for Kentucky fans from his high school recruitment. Stojakovic is a terrific shooter, and a top-25 recruit in the 2023 class.

On Thursday, Stojakovic cut his list to just three schools: California, UNC, and Kentucky. As a West Coast product, California was a school that showed interest when he was in high school, and so did Mark Pope when he was at BYU. Pope has made Stojakovic a priority, he could seal the deal this weekend.

Aidan Mahaney – Guard, Saint Mary’s

Physicals: 6-3, 180 lbs
Stats: 13.9 PPG, 2.6 APG, 38.6% FG, 35.5% 3P
Ranking: 96th (Evan Miya), 14th (247Sports)

One of the best guards in the portal. As a lead guard for Saint Mary’s, he displayed a good sense of playing under control, setting himself up and others. That said, his numbers were rather inefficient as the primary scoring option for the Gaels and shooting more than half of his shots from three. There are concerns about his playing against bigger guards.

Mahaney visited UConn Thursday and it looks to be a race between Creighton, Virginia, UConn, and Kentucky.

Andrew Carr – Forward, Wake Forest

Physicals: 6-11, 230 lbs
Stats: 13.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 52.6% FG, 37.1% 3P
Ranking: 33rd (Evan Miya), Not Listed (247Sports)

A near 7-footer who is efficient and can stretch the floor, shooting over 37 percent from three, is a player that Mark Pope would love to add to his roster. That describes Andrew Carr who has played two years at each Delaware and Wake Forest and is looking to go elsewhere for his last season of eligibility.

Carr is coming off a visit to Texas Tech and will visit Villanova after he visits Lexington this weekend.