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What’s Going On With Kentucky MBB Target Antonio Reeves?

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Illinois State Athletics

Antonio Reeves is a scoring specialist and one of the best players in the transfer portal. Averaging 20.1 points per game, he is the leading scorer of those in the transfer portal and was top 20 in the NCAA last season. Reeves also scores efficiently, shooting 46.9 percent from the field, 39 percent from 3-point range, and 81.8 percent from the free-throw line.

The 6-foot-6, 185-pound transfer visited Kentucky in mid-April, with reports saying all went well. Combine that with his previous connection to UK assistant Chin Coleman, and Kentucky seemed to be the front runner and was expected to receive a commitment this past weekend, then Monday.

However, the days came and went without an announcement, and instead, Reeves listed his final five on Tuesday (which included Kentucky).

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So what happened?

Kentucky Sports Radio’s Jack Pilgrim reported that a source close to reeves cited “playing time and a clear role” as reason for the delay.

This doesn’t make sense as when you look at the roster, it appears that there is a spot or two open on the wing with Jacob Toppin, CJ Frederick, and Chris Livingston the only expected wing players to be on next season’s roster, or is that so?

Is Shaedon Sharpe now expected to be ruled ineligible? Is Keion Brooks Jr returning? Is there a better transfer option?

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Whatever the case, it has not been made clear but it appears that the Kentucky coaching staff knows something in order to put off one of the best transfers available in a position of need. With that said, Pilgrim’s source goes on to say, “It’s not closed off to Kentucky. It very well could happen, but there’s been some brake-pumping on both sides.”

As a result of that “brake-pumping”, a new school has come into the fold, Oregon.

Under the current NIL landscape, Oregon is set up to be one of the schools to benefit the most, as Nike is headquartered there and alum Phil Knight is one of the biggest donors in the country. This has already proved to be true, with the Ducks signing one top-five recruit in the 2023 class, Mookie Cook, and is expected to add another soon, Kwame Evans Jr.

In addition, there is an ample amount of playing time at Oregon, expecting to lose three of their top five scorers.

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This combination of the NIL earning potential and playing time gives Kentucky plenty of competition.

I expect Kentucky is still the favorite, IF they want him, but it is an interesting situation. Reports state that Reeves is anticipated to make a decision between May 10th-15th.

UPDATE (10:00 AM): So much for the reports of a May 10th-15th decision date, Antonio Reeves has picked Kentucky!

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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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Kentucky Hosting Top Five Recruit Nate Ament

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Top five prospect Nate Ament will be visiting Kentucky in Rupp Arena as they take on Tennessee.
USA Basketball

After missing out on Caleb Wilson, Kentucky has shifted focus to its last remaining prospect, Nate Ament. The 6-foot-9 small forward prospect out of Warrenton, Virginia, is now the Wildcats’ last remaining prospect in the high school ranks for the 2025 class.

Ament has set up a visit to Kentucky, which was first reported by On3’s Joe Tipton. He will be in attendance when Tennessee travels to Rupp Arena on February 11th, with both the Wildcats and the Volunteers in the mix within the recruitment.

It is important to note that Kentucky is behind in this recruitment as they prioritized Caleb Wilson over Ament which did not pay off in the end. Ament has already visited Duke, Tennessee, Louisville, Texas, and Notre Dame. He is currently down to 11 schools including the Cats.

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Duke has been considered the longtime favorite in the recruitment but Mark Pope and company will have the chance to sell themselves before Ament decides to commit to another school.

Mark Pope even recruited Ament during his visit to Tennessee, where Kentucky pulled the upset on the road. As the team was celebrating coming off the floor, Pope passed Ament saying “Let’s go, Nate,” and “C’mon, Nate.”

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