New predictions for basketball novices with Kentucky quotes –

The Nike EYBL stop in Louisville this weekend will bring many of Kentucky’s biggest basketball collection goals to the Commonwealth, and while college coaches won’t be allowed to attend the event, UK staff are sure to keep a close eye on progress. from these star possibilities.

What does their recruiting look like off the field?

Here’s a quick rundown of all players in the class of 2023 with Kentucky scholarship offers so far – sorted by 247Sports’ new rankings – and what the latest estimates from national recruitment websites have to say about each UK target.

DJ Wagner

This weekend, at least locally, the star of the show will be DJ Wagner, who arrives in Louisville a few days after the U of L announced it has hired grandfather Cardinal great Milt Wagner as Coach Kenny Payne’s new lineup.

Wagner, whose father played for John Calipari in Memphis, has long been viewed as an important Kentucky leaner, but the prospect of his grandfather’s employment has sparked a national flurry of forecasts that have been making its way to Louisville in recent weeks. All 11 of the most recent picks on Wagner’s 247Sports Crystal Ball page, the Rivals.com FutureCast page, and the On3.com recruiting page all favor the Cardinals.

England is by no means excluded from this recruitment, but defeating Louisville will clearly be tough. Wagner lost #1. The North Carolina commitment gives GG Jackson #1 in the 247Sports standings, but the 6ft-3 combo guard from New Jersey is still #1. 2 national.

Justin Edwards

It is now ranked as #1. 3 overall player in the class of 2023, Justin Edwards is a longtime UK target who has called Kentucky his “dream school” in the past and was offered a Wildcats scholarship during a trip to Lexington last fall. But Tennessee did host Edwards for an official visit in March, and Volunteers have gotten a few estimates from Rivals.com in the past two weeks. 247Sports analyst Travis Branham also posted his early forecast for Tennessee, but there he noted that Kentucky was “tightening this race” and added that the Wildcats were “gaining momentum” into the summer.

The 6-7 wing from Philadelphia remains an important target for England to watch.

Matas Buzelis

Now it’s number 1. 7 by 247Sports, all-rounder Matas Buzelis – 6-10 wing from Chicago – with zero guesses from hiring analysts at 247Sports, Rivals.com and On3.com, there’s a seemingly completely open hiring. The State of Florida has been noted as a possible favorite in recent months, but the lack of public forecasts here tells us.

In the same post published Thursday in which Branham explored the hiring of Justin Edwards, 247Sports analyst described Kentucky as “current betting favorites” for Buzelis, which will also consider the NBA G League route. As of now, North Carolina, FSU, Wake Forest, Arizona, and UCLA are still in the picture and Duke has also offered a scholarship.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuvU-uPC5Xk

Kwame Evans Jr.

A 6-9 forward from Baltimore is now ranked #1 by 247Sports. 8 players in the class, Kwame Evans Jr. He was one of the first players from that group to visit Kentucky (and receive a UK offer) from that group last fall, but there hasn’t been a ton of buzz around the Wildcats in recent months.

Instead, Arizona and Oregon seem to get the most talk in their recruiting. A 247Sports recruiter based in Evans’ state of Maryland recorded an Arizona Crystal Ball selection Thursday, and Branham wrote that same day that he had given the Pac-12 Wildcats “too early prediction” status. There have been no other new forecasts for the past few months. Kentucky is still in the mix here.

ron netherlands

Ron Holland – 6-8 forward from Texas – is an outlier on this list as he has yet to receive a Kentucky scholarship offer, but that is expected to change when he makes an official visit to Lexington a few weeks from now. . When that offer comes along, things should get interesting.

The behind-the-scenes news for months was that England would jump to the top of the Netherlands’ college list if the Wildcats extended a bid. The key word here is “university” as the Netherlands is also said to be a likely candidate to jump straight out of high school to professionals. Branham also acknowledged the professional angle, while saluting Kentucky in his “too early” forecast a few days ago. For the Netherlands, where 247Sports is currently number one, zero Crystal Ball, Rivals.com or On3.com predictions have been made in the last six months. 13 national.

Robert Dillingham

No. Robert Dillingham, the 14th overall player in the new 247Sports standings, could be the next commitment for Kentucky. Leading analysts Travis Branham of 247Sports and Jamie Shaw of On3.com have recorded forecasts in favor of the Wildcats over the past few days, and it looks like a 6-2 combo guard from North Carolina may come out by the end of next week. moon.

Dillingham is arguably the most dynamic perimeter scorer in the class of 2023 and as a freshman will add a ton of punch to England’s offensive offensive. The cats are the team to beat here.

Aaron Bradshaw

7-footer of Camden, NJ – and a high school and DJ Wagner’s AAU teammate – Aaron Bradshaw took #1. It ranks 21st in the new 247Sports rankings and could ultimately be the best center in the 2023 class. There aren’t any estimates from national experts on the hiring pages, but Kentucky has been mentioned as a possible favorite, and it wouldn’t come as a surprise if some picks start rolling in favor of the Wildcats over the summer.

Officially, Bradshaw has seven options on his final list: England, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, State of Oklahoma, UCLA and the G League.

Andrej Stojakovi.

One of the biggest rises in the new 247Sports rankings last week, Andrej Stojakovic, son of former NBA star Peja Stojakovic, has left number one. 103 to No. After a spring of receiving offers from Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA, Indiana, Tennessee, Texas, and many other major programs, the 25th Sacramento-area star’s recruitment pages nationally have a total of zero estimates, and that quest seems pretty obvious as we head into the summer.

The 6-6 wing is scheduled to make its first official visit (to Stanford) in the next few days, and various programs, including Kentucky, will host him for such trips over the next few months. Stojakovic is the only no-commitment, non-Nike league candidate to have received a UK scholarship so far this cycle. He plays on the Adidas circuit alongside early Kentucky commit Reed Sheppard.

JJ Taylor

Chicago’s JJ Taylor, long named one of the top 10 nominees for the class of 2023, has dropped — to number one. 34 in the most recent 247Sports standings – following his transition to Kanye West-backed Donda Academy. Kentucky assistant coach Chin Coleman has been recruiting Taylor when he was in 6-8 wing middle school — since Coleman’s time in Illinois — and at one point, the Cats seemed like an unlikely favorite to fulfill his commitment.

Now, things are a little more blurry. There are no predictions for 247Sports, Rivals.com or On3.com to hit the summer, and the pro route is expected to be an option as Taylor looks to the basketball future.