Kentucky Wildcats Basketball

Isaiah Jackson, a 5-star power forward from Waterford Mott High School in Waterford, Michigan, committed to Kentucky on Saturday, according to Evan Daniels of 247Sports.

Per Daniels, Jackson said the following when asked why he chose Kentucky over fellow finalists Syracuse and Alabama: "I picked them because Kentucky has always been a dream school of mine because they bring in top notch guys and turn them into pros. I just feel like me being there with the team we have I have a chance to win national championship and also fulfill my ultimate goal of being a pro."

The 6'9" and 200-pound Jackson is the No. 1 prospect from the state of Michigan, the No. 3 power forward prospect and the No. 26 player overall in the class of 2020, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

Jerry Meyer of 247Sports.com provided the following scouting report on Jackson:

"Adequate length but very slender for a 4-man. Tremendous athlete. Fast and a high riser. Has an extremely quick second jump and the instincts and timing of a top-notch shot blocker. Not considered a skilled offensive player but his skill level is steadily improving. Motor, athleticism and potential project him as a first-round pick."

As for how he views his own game, Jackson feels his versatility is a major strength.

"I'm a stretch 3, stretch 4, I pretty much do what a 3 does, what a 1 does sometimes, what a 5 does," he told Alex Schiffer of the Kansas City Star in May.

Whatever his role ends up being on the college level—and he'll more than likely slot in as a power forward—he has the opportunity to be a major impact player immediately. 

As for Kentucky, well, the rich get richer. Recruiting has never been an issue for John Calipari's Wildcats, who already have three 5-star recruits (Terrence Clarke, BJ Boston, Devin Askew) and two 4-star recruits (Lance Ware, Cam'Ron Fletcher) in the class of 2020. With the addition of Jackson, it appears the Wildcats will once again boast the top recruiting class in the nation. 

Guard Devin Askew signed his University of Kentucky letter of intent to complete his reclassification to make him a member of the Wildcats' 2020 recruiting class.

Evan Daniels of 247Sports reported the update Friday.

Askew is a 5-star prospect and was rated as the No. 10 overall player in the 2021 class before Friday's switch to next year's group, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. He was also the top recruit from the state of California for 2021.

The Mater Dei High School standout committed to UK in October and told Jason Jordan of USA Today he liked what he witnessed from Wildcats head coach John Calipari.

"Coach Calipari doesn't care who you are or where you're ranked," Askew said. "I had a vision of him being like that, but to see it was different. I love that. If you don't want a coach like that then you're not playing the right sport. I don't want someone telling me how great I am all the time. I want to be pushed."

Kentucky already had the third-ranked recruiting class for 2020 with commitments from 5-stars Terrence Clarke and BJ Boston as well as 4-stars Lance Ware and Cam'Ron Fletcher.

Askew will give the Wildcats five players ranked inside the top 50 next year, once again highlighting the recruiting dominance of Calipari.

His commitment is a nice mood-changing moment for Kentucky after its stunning upset loss to Evansville on Tuesday night, which will surely drop UK from No. 1 in the AP rankings next week.

The Wildcats are still one of college basketball's top national championship contenders this season and, based on the recruiting class, should remain in that category next year.

Apparently the No. 1 team in the country losing on its home floor to the Evansville Purple Aces simply "happens."

"Stuff like this happens," Kentucky head coach John Calipari told reporters following Tuesday's 67-64 loss. "You wanna grow from it, you wanna learn from it. We may look back in a couple weeks and say 'this is the greatest thing that happened to this team.'"

Kyle Boone of CBSSports.com noted Calipari pointed to a lack of toughness when looking for the primary culprit in the loss.

It is no surprise the coach wasn't pleased with the toughness his team showed considering it was out-rebounded 38-35. Evansville had plenty of misses to rebound with Kentucky shooting an ugly 4-of-17 (23.5 percent) from three-point range and 37.0 percent from the field overall.

The Wildcats never established much of an offensive rhythm against a defense that is a mere 108th in the country in pace-adjusted defensive efficiency, per Ken Pomeroy's advanced metrics. They also had trouble stopping the tandem of K.J. Riley and Sam Cunliffe, who tallied a combined 35 points.

If Calipari's premonition that this could be "the greatest thing that happened to this team" does come true, that will mean Kentucky takes significant steps before its schedule gets much more difficult.

The team still plays Utah, Ohio State, Louisville and Texas Tech in its nonconference slate and the likes of Florida, Auburn and LSU in the SEC.

The Wildcats will have to be much better than they showed in Tuesday's matchup.

K.J. Riley scored 18 points and Sam Cunliffe added 17 off the bench as Evansville stunned No. 1 Kentucky 67-64 on Tuesday at Rupp Arena in Lexington.

Per the SEC Network broadcast (via Adam Zagoria of the New York Times), Tuesday marked the first time an unranked nonconference opponent beat the Wildcats on their home floor in 53 attempts.

Vegas Insider showed the Purple Aces were a 25-point underdog at most sportsbooks. South Point Casino (h/t B/R Betting) listed them as 40-1 moneyline underdogs.

The Wildcats shot just 37.0 percent from the field and hit only four of their 17 three-point attempts. Evansville did not shoot well either (38.3 percent) but nailed nine threes in 30 tries.

The Purple Aces led until the final buzzer following Riley's three with 7:18 remaining in the second half, which put his team up 56-53.

The Wildcats' Tyrese Maxey hit a layup to cut the deficit to 65-64 with nine seconds left, but Cunliffe made two free throws.

With six seconds left, Maxey drove down the court and hoisted a deep three, but it fell short.

Evansville went 11-21 and finished last in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2018-19. The Purple Aces were projected in a preseason poll to land eighth in the 10-team league this year. They defeated Ball State in their opener Saturday and entered the evening ranked 152nd in the Division I Sagarin ratings.

Second-year Evansville coach Walter McCarty is a Kentucky legend who was an integral part of its 1995-96 national championship team. He also played in the NBA from 1996 to 2006.

Kentucky beat then-No. 1 Michigan State 69-62 in New York last week to open the season before defeating Eastern Kentucky 91-49 on Friday. On Tuesday, Immanuel Quickley led the Wildcats with 16 points, and Maxey added 15 off the bench.

After the game, the Purple Aces celebrated in their locker room:

McCarty didn’t want to enter this locker room. He knew what was waiting. “This is a $4,000 suit.” pic.twitter.com/wp0MYH9uv0

— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_ATH) November 13, 2019

Not only did they get the win, but Yahoo Sports noted the Wildcats paid them $90,000 to play at Rupp Arena.

ESPN Stats and Info and Dari Nowkhah of ESPN offered more context for Evansville's huge win:

No. 1 Kentucky loses at Rupp Arena to unranked Evansville.

It is the first time an AP No. 1 Kentucky team has ever lost a home game to an unranked non-conference opponent (had been 39-0).

It's Evansville's first road win over an AP-ranked team in program history.

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 13, 2019

Evansville was 0-33 on the road against AP Top 25 teams.

Kentucky was 39-0 as AP #1 at home vs unranked non-conf teams.

Kentucky had not lost as #1 against an unranked, non-major conf team since 1950.

Evansville just beat Kentucky at Rupp Arena.

— Dari Nowkhah (@ESPNDari) November 13, 2019

Per Kyle Tucker of The Athletic, McCarty called the night his best moment at Rupp Arena. The ex-Wildcat has had plenty of those, capped by the 1995-96 season in which McCarty and the rest of the "Untouchables" went undefeated in 13 home games en route to a 34-2 record and the program's sixth of eight national titles.

Meanwhile, Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio called the defeat the worst of head coach John Calipari's 11-season tenure and one of the worst ever. Kentucky.com concurred.

Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated presented a theory:

I believe Cal purposefully undercoaches his team in November and December to make them figure it out ... but still. That’s gotta be his most embarrassing loss at Kentucky.

— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) November 13, 2019

And Justin Rowland of CatsIllustrated offered his assessment of the team's effort:

This is one of the worst efforts -- literally, effort -- of the Calipari era. Look like they don't even want to be out there.

— Justin Rowland (@RowlandRIVALS) November 13, 2019

Kentucky will look to rebound against visiting Utah Valley on Monday. Evansville will host Indiana University Kokomo on Thursday.

Kentucky men's basketball debuted its 2019-20 team in the annual Blue-White Game on Friday at Rupp Arena in Lexington.

The White Team beat the Blue Team 81-80 led by 20 points from Nick Richards, who hit a pair of game-winning free throws down the stretch.

Final: ⚪️ Team 81, 🔵 Team 80.

2019 #BlueWhite Game went down to the wire.

The first @KentuckyMBB preseason exhibition is Sunday, Oct. 27 vs. Georgetown College 🎟➡️ https://t.co/KHqxjbVrxz pic.twitter.com/U455IaSv90

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) October 19, 2019

Both sides looked great, however, on a night in which many players shined.

Per 247Sports, UK landed the second-best class of 2019, led by 5-stars Tyrese Maxey, Kahlil Whitney and Keion Brooks. Four-stars Johnny Juzang and Dontaie Allen rounded out the group.

But the most impressive Wildcat debut arguably came courtesy of graduate transfer Nate Sestina, who arrived from Patriot League powerhouse Bucknell.

Sestina enjoyed a breakout season in his senior campaign, averaging 15.8 points on 53.6 percent shooting (38.0 percent on three-pointers), 8.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 27.9 minutes per game.

The 6'9", 234-pound forward picked up where he left off Friday, scoring 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting and hitting four of his eight three-pointers. He showed that he might be the missing veteran piece the Wildcats need to land a championship for the first time since 2012.

Travis Graf of Cats Illustrated was impressed:

https://twitter.com/Trav_Graf/status/1185333524091588611

It was hard not to be after seeing the him stretch the floor with a deadly three-point shot:

https://twitter.com/Scott_Charlton/status/1185343612529201152

Sestina did damage in the paint too, per Kyle Tucker of The Athletic:

Nate Sestina offensive board, whirling jump hook in the paint. That's 20 points, 3 boards, 1 block and a steal for a dude who it looks increasingly like Kentucky would've been screwed without this season.

— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_ATH) October 19, 2019

Elsewhere, Maxey and Whitney showed why they were worthy of the hype. Maxey posted 17 points, five assists and five rebounds, while Whitney posted 12 points, eight boards and two steals.

Maxey showcased his clutch ability by nailing this turnaround jumper to end the first half:

https://twitter.com/Scott_Charlton/status/1185346146522128384

Whitney was a problem in the paint thanks to a few dunks, including one courtesy of Maxey:

https://twitter.com/Scott_Charlton/status/1185339260183945216

Tucker called Maxey a "game-changer."

He hasn't necessarily been the star of this thing, but Tyrese Maxey is the game-changer for Kentucky. Drained a 3-pointer and he's up to 11 points, 3 assists and a steal without a turnover. Plays the game at a great pace and in command.

— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_ATH) October 19, 2019

As for Whitney, his game-breaking athleticism—good enough to leap over three people for a dunk—could be a serious problem:

.@KahlilWhitney clears 3 people with ease to show off the hops! 🐰 #BBM19pic.twitter.com/RzMp3Pk5xv

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) October 12, 2019

The early votes for UK's most improved player go to Immanuel Quickley, who clearly means business after a freshman year in which he struggled and averaged 5.2 points per game on 37.2 percent shooting. He made quick work of the opposition Friday with 25 points, seven rebounds and six rebounds.

Aaron Torres of Fox Sports reported an inside scoop on Quickley's stellar preseason:

Had heard buzz behind the scenes that Immanuel Quickley had been one of the pleasant surprises early on in Kentucky basketball practices. Based on tonight's scrimmage that seems to be the case. Looks like a COMPLETELY different player this season. Much more confident

— Aaron Torres (@Aaron_Torres) October 19, 2019

Quickley was a problem inside the arc:

https://twitter.com/Scott_Charlton/status/1185340423063199746

https://twitter.com/Scott_Charlton/status/1185353395147812870

https://twitter.com/Scott_Charlton/status/1185342623449407488

Another sophomore, Ashton Hagans, shone with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting and six assists. Like Quickley, he struggled in his first UK campaign, shooting just 27.5 percent from three-point range. But Hagans hit three of his six treys Friday, including this one from transition:

https://twitter.com/Scott_Charlton/status/1185351361887657984

At game's end, Tucker provided his power ranking of the top-performing players:

Blue-White top performers, one man's opinion:

1. Immanuel Quickley (25, 7 and 6)
2. Nate Sestina (22 and 4)
3. Tyrese Maxey (17, 5 and 5)
4. Ashton Hagans (14, 6 and 3)
5. Nick Richards (20 and 11)

— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_ATH) October 19, 2019

The early returns on UK men's hoops this year are positive, and the Wildcats will open the 2019-20 season against Michigan State on Nov. 5 at Madison Square Garden in New York. NBC Sports ranked MSU and UK No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in its preseason poll.    

Devin Askew ended the drama and announced he committed to Kentucky on SportsCenter Thursday evening.

Breaking: Devin Askew, ESPN's No. 1 ranked PG in the class of 2021, tells @PaulBiancardi he's committing to Kentucky. pic.twitter.com/3dojt25264

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 18, 2019

Askew, a native of Santa Ana, California, is the No. 10 player overall and No. 2 combo guard in the 2021 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He's also the best player in the state of California.

Askew has the ability to reclassify as a 2020 recruit, thus allowing him to suit up for the Wildcats a year earlier. His father, Brian, told 247Sports' Evan Daniels he's going to make a decision after this season is over.

Askew echoed the comments, telling Jason Jordan of USA Today High School Sports he still valued the opportunity of becoming a McDonald's All-American and competing in the Jordan Brand Classic.

Representing Team WhyNot in Nike's Elite Youth Basketball League, Askew averaged 9.8 points, 4.8 assists and 1.8 steals in 13 appearances, according to D1 Circuit. He also shot 40.9 percent from the floor and 46.2 percent from three-point range.

Team WhyNot coach David Rebibo had high praise for the dynamic guard.

"He's just a complete leader, floor general," Rebibo said, per the Courier-Journal's Jon Hale. "He makes the guys around him better, but the biggest things about him are his competitive nature. He's got a burning desire to win and compete. The brighter the lights, the bigger the stage, the better version of Devin Askew you’re going to get."

Rebibo added Askew has the talent and composure to handle college basketball were he to make the jump in 2020 rather than 2021.

While listed as a combo guard, Askew's frame (6'3", 195 lbs) leaves him more suited to playing shooting guard. From a skills standpoint, though, he fits the modern profile of a point guard in that he can distribute and run the offense or find his own shot and score.

Head coach John Calipari routinely assembles star-studded recruiting classes as his best players move on to the NBA, so it's little surprise Askew selected the Wildcats.

While Calipari would probably like to have him available next season, Kentucky already sits second in 247Sports' composite team rankings for 2020. A pair of shooting guards, Terrence Clarke and BJ Boston, are the standouts from that group.

If anything, Calipari might prefer Askew waits until 2021 so he can replace the void left by Clarke or Boston if either has a quick stay in Lexington.

Kentucky men's basketball head coach John Calipari said that anyone who is in favor of expanding the NBA draft past its current two-round structure is "trying to ruin college basketball," per Alex Scarborough of ESPN.com. 

"If anybody supports more rounds in the draft, those more rounds are to get kids to go to the G League, you do not care about college basketball or you're trying to ruin college basketball," Calipari said.

The comments come after Duke men's hoops head coach Mike Krzyzewski cited the G League and said he believes the NBA will expand its number of draft rounds, per the Associated Press.

"if I'm the owner of an NBA team and I have a G League affiliate I don't want to just protect two guys—I want to protect everybody," Krzyzewski said.

Calipari, who has coached Kentucky since 2009 and has 709 career wins at UMass, Memphis and UK, further elaborated on his points.

"After two years they don't perform, what? The NBA is going to take care of them and hire them? No. It's entertainment. You're done," Calipari said.

"If they're not going to the NBA, if we're really about young people, we should encourage them to go to college. And the reason is their way out is through education. Their way to break through to the American dream is education." 

The NBA moved to a two-round draft format in 1990. 

The developmental league has been in place since 2001-02, but the stakes have been raised a bit with the introduction of "select contracts," which were announced in Oct. 2018.

The league's news release read as follows:

"The NBA G League today announced a Select Contract as part of a comprehensive professional path that will be available, beginning with the 2019-20 season, to elite prospects who are eligible to play in the NBA G League but not yet eligible for the NBA. The contracts, which will include robust programmatic opportunities for development, are for elite players who are at least 18 years old and will pay $125,000 for the five-month season."

Per Tim Bontemps (then of the Washington Post), the select contract idea was in direct response to a recommendation from the Commission on College Basketball, which was led by former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice.

"The commission declared that players spending one year in college before matriculating to the pros 'has played a significant role in destabilizing and corrupting college basketball,' among other things," Bontemps wrote.

"The NBA has announced various initiatives pointing to its increased interest in being involved in the game at the youth level, and both the league and its players have signaled they are going to agree to eliminate the rule barring high schoolers from entering the NBA sooner rather than later."

Earlier this year, NBA commissioner Adam Silver also announced that the league's one-and-done rule would soon end. That rule went into affect after the 2005 Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NBA and the NBPA.

The 2019-20 Kentucky Wildcats were on display for the first time Friday night during Big Blue Madness at Rupp Arena.

As is always the case with the program, expectations are incredibly high heading into the season. Kevin Flaherty of 247Sports wrote in July that the Wildcats have the pieces in place to be a Final Four team:

"Kentucky has elite talent after loading up with another top recruiting class. And the Wildcats seem to be on repeat from last year in that those freshmen are joined by a significant amount of experience, whether it's with the Wildcats—enter sophomores Ashton Hagans, Immanuel Quickley, EJ Montgomery and junior Nick Richards, former five-stars all—or at another school, like Bucknell graduate transfer Nate Sestina."

The crown jewel for head coach John Calipari's freshman class is Tyrese Maxey, whom 247Sports ranked as the No. 10 overall prospect in the 2019 class. He's joined by fellow 5-stars Kahlil Whitney and Keion Brooks Jr.

The greatest fans.
The greatest family.
The greatest opportunity.
The greatest players.
The greatest coaches.
The greatest stage.
The greatest history.
THE GREATEST TRADITION.#TGT pic.twitter.com/e7VDt06aRx

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) October 11, 2019

Once player introductions were done and the crowd got to greet them in a wild frenzy, Calipari stepped up to the podium to address the fans.

Calipari: "We won't embellish. Some say their program will 'take care of you for the rest of your life.' We empower our players to take care of themselves for the rest of their life."

I always forget what a shameless recruiting pitch this Madness speech is every year.

— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_ATH) October 12, 2019

Coach Cal also used his platform to brag about how much Kentucky has shaped the NBA:

Cal: Over the last ten years, 22 NBA players have received max contracts. Seven are Kentucky Wildcats. #BBN #BBM19 pic.twitter.com/RqMWodxKrX

— Cameron Mills Show (@cameronradio) October 12, 2019

The on-court activities provided a glimpse of what's in store for the Wildcats. Things started with a three-point contest.

Defending champion Immanuel Quickley put his teammates on notice by retaining his crown as the best shooter on the roster. The sophomore knocked off Maxey in the final and added a little flair on his last attempt:

https://twitter.com/Scott_Charlton/status/1182816924574666752

There was plenty of room for the new guys to make their presence felt. Whitney, in particular, nearly brought the house down during the dunk contest when he flew over three people:

Not 1 … Not 2 … @KentuckyMBB’s Kahlil Whitney jumped over 3 people 😱 pic.twitter.com/rMVJ5NYfEr

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) October 12, 2019

But that rim-rocker wasn't enough to win the fan vote because Maxey went between his legs to dazzle the crowd.

https://twitter.com/Scott_Charlton/status/1182818335517491200

After those contests, the players took part in a scrimmage.

Big Blue Madness is both a hype machine for the upcoming season and a recruiting tool, and few programs in the country can compete with what the Wildcats present. Fans always turn out in droves for the event, and Calipari is as good as anyone at selling his program.

The 2019-20 Kentucky squad looks like a formidable group ready to make another run at a national title after the Wildcats lost to SEC rival Auburn in the Elite Eight last season.

Terrence Clarke, the No. 4 overall prospect in the 2020 college basketball recruiting class, announced his commitment to Kentucky on Saturday.

The 5-star prospect, who's also listed as the top-ranked shooting guard in next year's class in 247Sports' composite rankings, chose the Wildcats over a long list of interested schools that also included Duke, Texas Tech and UCLA.

Terrence Clarke has been seeking out the best competition since day one. The 5-star guard will continue to do so next season for the Kentucky Wildcats. @terrenceclarke_ https://t.co/MmZUpXYUbo

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) September 14, 2019

Clarke possesses ideal swingman size at 6'7" and 185 pounds. His combination of length, athleticism and playmaking ability is everything he needs to become an elite player in the coming years.

"A potential No. 1 pick in the draft," 247Sports Jerry Meyer wrote in his Clarke evaluation.

The Brewster Academy (N.H.) standout grew up in Boston and said he wants to help raise the city's profile in terms of basketball development to help kids who follow in his footsteps.

"There's kids out here that play basketball [but are] never known because they never had the opportunity," Clarke told Deyscha Smith of Boston.com. "I want to do a lot for the community, [be] the guy the younger kids to look up to and say, 'I want to be like him, or better.'"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3OW8FS91sQ

His commitment gives UK the top recruiting class for 2020, per 247Sports. He joins fellow 5-star shooting guard BJ Boston Jr. and 4-star forwards Lance Ware and Cam'Ron Fletcher.

Clarke will look to join John Wall, Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns as recent Kentucky players who went on to become the first overall pick in the NBA draft as early as 2021.

Brandon Boston Jr. verbally committed to the University of Kentucky on Saturday.

"I appreciated everybody recruiting me, but I'm going to Kentucky, and I picked them because I think it's what best fits me," Boston told Evan Daniels of 247Sports.

The 5-star point guard is transferring from Norcross High School in Atlanta to California's Sierra Canyon High School for his senior season. He is ranked the 10th-best recruit in his class and the second-best shooting guard, according to 247Sports.

247Sports' Chris Fisher wrote in his scouting report of the 6'6", 175-pound prospect:

"A long athlete who is still growing. Has good athleticism and a natural feel for the game. Lack of strength needs to improve, especially to be effective long-term on the defensive end. Terrific scorer who is effective at all three levels. Has a nose for the ball and the length to be a dangerous rebounder. Has tremendous upside, which makes him a potential lottery pick."

https://twitter.com/brhoops/status/1155162766799450113

After a January game against Roselle Catholic in the Hoophall Classic, Boston told MassLive.com's Alexandra Francisco that the programs recruiting him "want me to be a primary scorer and to go in there and be the best I can be."

He added: "A lot of people my size can't really dribble the ball like I can. That's a separation from them I have."

On May 18, Boston announced on Instagram that he had narrowed his recruitment to four teams: Kentucky, Duke, Auburn and Florida.

Fellow 5-star recruit Sharife Cooper told Kentucky Sports Radio (h/t SBNation's A Sea of Blue) the same month that he and his AAU teammate "talk about [teaming up in college] all the time." Now, Calipari has one half of the equation locked in.