Kentucky Basketball Recruiting Update For The Class Of 2024
Even though there are still 54 days until Kentucky Basketball tips off, Coach Cal and the staff are always recruiting nonstop, and as of September 12, it is officially an open recruiting period until April. This means that coaches can make in-home visits with recruits and host recruits on official and unofficial visits freely.
So, who will the Kentucky staff focus on this coming fall and winter? There will be recruits from all different classes and all across the country on the shortlist for John Calipari, some of whom will even visit Lexington. Today, we start out our previews with the class of 2024.
Class of 2024
Boogie Fland
The five-star point guard from New York City is rated as the No. 20 player in the class and the second-best combo guard according to 247 Sports. Boogie Fland is coming off an official visit to Kentucky this past weekend where the staff truly rolled out the red carpet for one of their top targets. He attends Archbishop Stepinac High School and played for the PSA Cardinals this year in the Nike EYBL. Throughout the summer, he averaged 15 points and 4 rebounds a game. Fland has a top-eight of Kentucky, Alabama, Indiana, Michigan, UNC, Maryland, UConn and St. John’s.
Billy Richmond
(Images via Dan Fritz)
Once a teammate of current Cats D.J. Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw, four-star Billy Richmond has been rising up the list for Kentucky. He is listed as the No. 34 player in the country and the No. 6 overall shooting guard. His official visit to Lexington is scheduled for September 15-17. Richmond attends Camden High School in New Jersey and suited up this summer for the New Jersey Scholars in the EYBL. Over the summer he averaged 18 points and 6 rebounds while shooting 54% from the field. Richmond is seen as a recent riser in the class and could be a steal if he committed to Kentucky. He is also considering LSU, Kansas, Alabama, Texas, Louisville, and more.
Cooper Flagg
(Image via 929theTicket)
The star of AAU this summer and one of the most hyped-up recruits in a long time is 6'8", 195-pound Cooper Flagg, who plays at Montverde Academy in Florida. Flagg recently reclassified and is listed as the number one overall player in the country. Over the summer, Cooper suited up for his home state EYBL team of Maine United. During this time he averaged 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists while having 77 total blocks. Flagg has also been a huge target of all other blue bloods as well as professional leagues. His recruitment is pretty quiet at the moment but be prepared for it to ramp up before the season starts.
Karter Knox
(Image via UK Athletics)
The brother of former Cat Kevin Knox is a prized recruit as well. The 6'6", 205-pound small forward from Tampa, Florida will play at Overtime Elite this year for his senior season. He is ranked as the 7th overall player and 2nd overall small forward in the class. Knox suited up for the Florida Rebels this summer and averaged 21 points and 5 rebounds on 55% from the field. He's been considered a top player in the class for a while now and could be a cornerstone piece to a future UK team. Louisville, Kansas, and Alabama are also recruiting Knox.
Jayden Quaintance
(Image via RockMNation)
Jayden Quaintance is listed as the No. 11 overall player in his class and is tabbed as a top-three center. The 6'9", 230-pound big man from North Carolina is amazing above the rim and would be seen as an old-fashioned Cal big man. He will visit Kentucky in late October. Quaintance played AAU for Team Thad this summer and averaged 10 points and six rebounds on a loaded team. He is a scorer, a major paint presence, and rim protector all in one, and will be a vital piece to whatever top school he decides to commit to. Arkansas, Kansas, UNC, NC State, and plenty of others are also interested him.
Patrick Ngongba
(Image via TheDailyHooser)
Patrick Ngongba was recently visited by Calipari and staff at his home. The 6'11", 235-pound big man is the No. 28 player and 4th best center in the class. He has an official visit scheduled with Kentucky later this month. Ngongba plays high school basketball for Paul VI Catholic and AAU for Team Takeover of the EYBL. During the summer he averaged 13 points and 8 rebounds while only playing 19 minutes a game. Ngongba is seen as a rim protector who can play above the rim on offense and can also be involved on fast breaks. He is also being recruited by Michigan, Duke, and Kansas State.
Travis Perry
(Image via ZagsBlog)
The new all-time leading scorer in Kentucky high school history, Travis Perry, is a 6'2" guard and is ranked as the 74th overall player in the class. Perry suited up for Indiana Elite in the Adidas 3SSB summer circuit. During this time, Perry averaged 23 points per game along with 5 made three-pointers a game which led the entire Adidas circuit. Even though Kentucky has fallen behind with Perry, expect the Cats to make one final push for the blue-chip all-around scorer out of Lyon County, Kentucky. He'll take an official visit to UK during Big Blue Madness in October.
VJ Edgecombe
(Image via On3Sports)
The most recent player to receive a scholarship from the University of Kentucky is 5-star small forward, VJ Edgecombe. Edgecombe sits at 6'5" and 180-pounds and is one of the fastest risers in the 2024 class. He is rated as the number 6 player in the country and the No. 2 small forward. He attends Long Island Lutheran High School and plays AAU for Austin Rivers Elite of the Adidas 3SSB. He averaged 18 points and shot 38% percent from the three this past summer. Expect Edgecombe to be invited on campus for a visit soon as John Calipari looks to get in on the biggest riser of the summer. He also has interest from Duke, Michigan, Alabama, and many more.
Even though there may be a few more names the Kentucky staff will see from the class as a whole, these are some to keep an eye on in 2024 as John Calipari looks to turn a slow recruiting class start into another top-5 group.
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