LEXINGTON, Ky. — With Kentucky’s hopes for a turnaround ending abruptly on the Wildcats’ first day of the Southeastern Conference tournament, the attention turns to what comes next.
There are plenty of stay-or-go decisions for UK players to sort through — and fans to wait on — in the coming days and weeks, but it’s pretty clear that Kentucky will need to find at least one more capable perimeter player, and the Cats could very well be looking for multiple backcourt additions this offseason.
With Brandon Boston and Terrence Clarke still expected to enter their names in the NBA draft and graduate transfer Davion Mintz possibly moving on from college, that leaves point guard recruit Nolan Hickman and freshmen Dontaie Allen and Devin Askew as the only guards expected back next season. (And Allen and Askew are likely to be the subjects of transfer rumors until they explicitly say they’re staying put).
So, John Calipari will need some help. And he’ll need perimeter players that will be able to help right away. Where will he find them? Here are the names on Kentucky’s radar.
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JUSTIN POWELL
The Auburn transfer checks a lot of boxes for what UK is likely to need next season.
Powell — a 6-foot-6 guard — has tremendous size for the position, shoots the ball tremendously from 3-point range and has enough versatility to play on or off the ball. He projects as more of a ‘2’ guard, but Auburn used him as its lead guard early this season, and he excelled in the role, averaging about seven assists per game during the time he started at that position.
He’s also from Kentucky — checking the “instant fan favorite” box — and is talented enough from an overall standpoint that ESPN plugged him in at No. 16 overall in its 2022 mock draft.
Powell would be a terrific addition for Kentucky, which could play him in a variety of roles, depending on who else is on the roster next season. The Herald-Leader has been told that UK should be considered the team to beat at this early stage in his process — he just hit the NCAA transfer portal Wednesday morning — though others, namely Louisville, will also make a run.
With UK’s season now over and the Wildcats’ coaching staff focused completely on what’s next, look for this recruitment to progress rather quickly.
Powell did tell 247Sports on Thursday night that he’s not in much of a rush to make his transfer decision, saying he plans to wait and check out the roster situations at his top options before coming to a final conclusion.
It’ll be interesting to see how long this process goes, but Kentucky should start from an enviable position.
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SKYY CLARK
It seemed for much of the past several months that Clark — a five-star point guard from the 2022 class who committed to UK in October — planned to play out this season before likely making a decision to reclassify to 2021 and join the Wildcats in time for the 2021-22 campaign.
That no longer seems like the most probable scenario.
Clark, who opted out of his junior season in late January due to COVID-19 concerns, now seems more likely to stay in high school for another year and enroll at UK with his normal class. (He doesn’t turn 18 years old until July).
Expect a final decision in the next few weeks.
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JADEN HARDY
What a recruiting coup this would be.
Hardy — a 6-4 combo guard from the Las Vegas area and the No. 2 player in the 2021 class — was the first perimeter player in the 2021 class to land a UK scholarship offer. For a time, it looked like Kentucky was the leader.
That time has, seemingly, passed.
For more than a year now, rumors that Hardy could go straight to the pros have been rampant in recruiting circles, and the perceived possibility of that has picked up in recent months, to the point that it is now expected — almost assumed — that he will make the jump. (Likely to the G League, if he does go pro).
Hardy has said he intends to wait until next month to make a final decision regarding his recruitment, so perhaps there’s time for Calipari to make one last run. If Hardy did come to UK, he would be — believe it or not — Calipari’s highest-ranked guard recruit since John Wall, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
He’s a prolific scorer with a college-ready game, a knack for attacking the basket, an ability to shoot from well beyond the three-point line, and enough playmaking ability to play on the ball. He’s also, it appears, unlikely to come to Kentucky.
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HUNTER SALLIS
Like with Hardy, there were a few months there where UK was widely seen as the frontrunner for Sallis, a 6-5 combo guard who is likely to play the point guard spot in college. Also like with Hardy, it looks like Sallis’ recruitment is headed in another direction.
Gonzaga, the No. 1 team in college basketball this season, is now accepted in recruiting circles to be the ultimate landing spot for Sallis, who will reveal his college decision March 26. The Zags were the only team that was able to host Sallis for an official visit before the NCAA’s “dead period” banning recruiting travel went into effect last March, and he won’t be able to visit other top schools on his list — like Kentucky and North Carolina — before he announces his decision.
At this point, it would be a major surprise if Sallis picks the Wildcats.
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TREVOR KEELS
The timing of Kentucky’s late leap into Keels’ recruitment was, rightly, seen as a sign that the Cats were not in very good shape for Hardy or Sallis. It’s also looking like they’re not in great shape for Keels, a college-ready shooting guard from the Washington, D.C. area who’s ranked No. 20 overall in the 2021 class.
Duke and Villanova were the established leaders before Kentucky jumped in — Virginia is the fourth school still in the mix — and a trio of Duke insiders logged Crystal Ball predictions in favor of Nova on Keels’ 247Sports page earlier this week.
UK extended the scholarship offer to Keels exactly one month ago Friday, and there’s been nothing to indicate since then that the Wildcats should be seen as any kind of favorite there.
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BRANDIN PODZIEMSKI
A little further down the rankings sits Podziemski, who just won Wisconsin Mr. Basketball honors after a stellar senior season, averaging 35.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 4.0 steals per game while shooting nearly 45% from 3-point range.
Podziemski can play, for sure, but can he make an immediate impact as a freshman at a place like Kentucky? There are still some questions about that, and — while he did include UK among his five finalists — there hasn’t been much indication in recent weeks that the Wildcats are treating him like a top target to round out their 2021 class.
Perhaps there’s more movement on that front now that UK’s season is finished, but, for now, it just feels like he’s going to end up with one of his other college options: Illinois, Miami, Vanderbilt or Wake Forest.
Podziemski is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 72 overall player in the class.
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TYTY WASHINGTON
A new name to consider, Washington announced Thursday afternoon that he was backing off his commitment to Creighton and reopening his college recruitment.
He’ll immediately be one of the hottest names in this recruiting cycle.
The 6-4 point guard from Arizona was one of the most impressive high school basketball players in the country this past season, and his play on the court has been reflected in his climbing recruiting ranking. Washington was the No. 74 overall player in the 247Sports composite rankings six months ago. He’s now No. 30 on that list, and he could be due for another bump before this 2021 cycle ends.
Duke, Kansas and, yes, Kentucky have all been linked to his recruitment since he backed off the Creighton pledge Thursday, and he’ll be a player to keep a close eye on in the coming days.
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THE TRANSFER PORTAL
Things are going to change quickly over the next few weeks.
Expect more prominent names to pop up as possible UK targets as more teams’ seasons come to an end and more players enter the transfer portal. Those transfer numbers will increase as college coaches are fired or switch schools, and those cases could even lead to a few more high-profile high school prospects, like Washington, reopening their recruitments.
As UK’s own roster situation comes into focus — and the team’s exact needs for next season become more clear — the Cats will zero in on top targets, and the transfer portal is likely to be the source of at least one future Wildcat.
And more names that haven’t even been mentioned will surely be linked to Kentucky in the coming weeks.
