Five-star Kentucky basketball recruit Terrence Clarke weighed in directly Wednesday morning on rumors that he might skip college to go directly to the NBA's G League.
Clarke says there's nothing for Kentucky fans to worry about.
The 6-foot-7 shooting guard _ one of the most highly touted recruits in the 2020 class _ announced on social media that he fully intends to be in Lexington next season.
"BBN, don't worry, my loyalty never changed. I'm here to stay. Can't wait to get on campus and get to work and chase #9 with my brothers!" Clarke said on Twitter, punctuating the tweet with a blue heart. The "#9" refers to a ninth national championship for the Wildcats, who will be relying heavily on Clarke to help make that happen in the 2020-21 season.
Late Tuesday night, longstanding rumors in recruiting circles started to hit social media regarding the G League's efforts to land top-rated recruits in the 2020 class possibly looking to bypass college and jump straight to the pros.
Clarke _ the No. 4 overall player in the 2020 class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings _ was one of the players mentioned on the G League's radar. Jalen Green, another top-five player in the 2020 class, is widely expected to announce Thursday that he will turn pro instead of playing college ball, and the G League could be his destination next season.
Previously, the "Select Contracts" the G League was offering high school recruits were set at $125,000, but the offers being discussed with prospects from the 2020 class have been much more lucrative and include endorsement deals, the Herald-Leader has been told. High school seniors are not permitted to jump straight to the NBA draft under the league's current rules.
Former Kentucky assistant coach Rod Strickland is the program manager for the G League's professional path program and has been actively involved in evaluating prospects that could possibly take that path. Strickland was on John Calipari's coaching staff at Kentucky.
"I want to let BBN know I talked to Rod Strickland. I saw all the craziness out there last night," Calipari said in a tweet Wednesday morning. "Rod worked for me, was a great assistant and is a great friend. I'm feeling really good about my team. BBN, let's focus on this great group we have for next season."
The tweets from Clarke and Calipari came out minutes apart from each other. Clarke officially signed his national letter of intent with the Wildcats in the fall.
