Recruiting 2019

[twocoach]

Tristan Enaruna - we need this cat!

We really don't need him right now but he'd sure be nice to have a few years from now when he's a junior.

[TDub]

I kinda think we need anyone we can get right now. We have like 6 schollies open.

[pdub]

If Lightfoot is your only player that could play the four, ( if you are playing that style ) then yea, we need him right now.

[Cascadia]

But Lightfoot is a 3 point machine!

[NDballer13]

If I were to place a bet right now, I'd go with KU gets at least 2 of Hampton, Enaruna, and Holyfield. I'd even lean towards all 3.

[punkrockhawk]

If I were to place a bet right now, I'd go with KU gets at least 2 of Hampton, Enaruna, and Holyfield. I'd even lean towards all 3.

Sure hope you are right! Where is Blackmild to shed some light, when we need him?

[Deleted User 89]

But Lightfoot is a 3 point machine!

lol

[Deleted User 89]

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/s ... 630698002/

LEXINGTON – For more than a year, five-star combo guard RJ Hampton was rumored to be considering a move from the 2020 class to 2019.

So when Hampton confirmed Tuesday he was reclassifying to enroll at a college this fall, the news came as little surprise.

Nor was the fact that Duke had been removed from the list of schools he was considering as Hampton and his father, Rod Hampton, have made no secret of the fact that next season's backcourt depth for each of his suitors will play a key role in his decision. When Duke freshman point guard Tre Jones announced he was returning for a sophomore season, the Blue Devils were seemingly eliminated from the running for Hampton.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in Tuesday’s announcement was that Kentucky, where freshman point guard Ashton Hagans is also set to return for a sophomore season, was among the four schools Hampton is still considering.

In an interview with the Courier Journal Tuesday afternoon, Rod Hampton explained why John Calipari and Kentucky were not cut from the list like Duke was.

“Not that Duke doesn’t have the wow factor, but Cal has played with multiple guards,” Rod Hampton said. “I think the one good thing RJ has going for him is he can play multiple positions. At the next level, he’ll be a point guard, but he can switch and play, guard the two, sometimes guard the three. I think that’s good for him.”

To be clear, Kentucky still has its work cut out to land Hampton, now ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the class of 2019 by the 247Sports Composite.

Of the recruiting analyst predictions logged for Hampton’s college choice in the 247Sports Crystal Ball or Rivals FutureCast, none are for Kentucky. Finalists Kansas and Memphis have far less crowded backcourts than Kentucky and appear to have the lead heading into Hampton’s upcoming official visits. He replaced Duke with Texas Tech on the list of four finalists Tuesday.

In addition to Hagans, Kentucky is set to return freshman point guard Immanuel Quickley. Five-star combo guard Tyrese Maxey will join the roster this summer, and five-star wing Johnny Juzang visited Lexington this week after announcing his own move from the 2020 class to 2019.

“Kind of competition wise (Kentucky’s depth) is not a concern, but when you’ve got five guards for 40 minutes that is a concern,” Rod Hampton said. “Kentucky really preaches the best guy is going to play. When you’ve got five guys all of them are the best guy, so how do you decipher that? You go out and practice and you fight it out. That could be a blessing and a curse, but Cal finds a way to do it every year so that’s not something we shy away from.”

Even while he recruits Juzang, Calipari appears unwilling to surrender Hampton to the competition just yet.

The Kentucky coach made sure to watch Hampton during the first of two live recruiting periods on the AAU circuit this summer over the weekend in Atlanta. He visited the family in Texas last week.

After losing five-star forward James Wiseman, the No. 1-ranked player in the 2019 class, and former UK commitment D.J. Jeffries to Memphis earlier in the cycle, Calipari could be particularly reticent to concede Hampton to Tigers coach Penny Hardaway. A third recruiting loss to Hardaway in the cycle seems like a real possibility though despite Memphis missing the NCAA Tournament in his first year as coach.

“Penny has to win some games,” Rod Hampton said. “This is going to be his first big-time recruiting class, so I’m anxious to see what he’s going to do. We may be a part of it, so you’ve got Wiseman, you’ve got D.J. Jeffries, those guys – and I know they’ve got some other guys they’re recruiting. He could put together a really good recruiting class, but then it’s up to him to coach those guys and win some games.

“…He did a hell of a job (in his first year). I think you’ve got to commend him on that. I think he’s just going to build off that. He was a rookie coach too. He had the learning curve. I think early on he did that, and he did a heck of a job on those guys.”

Hampton plans to set a date for an official visit to Kentucky in the coming days. The family is not yet ready to put a timeline on when the final decision as it waits to see what happens with the other remaining 2019 targets the finalists are pursuing.

Rod Hampton left the door open to one more cut of the list before the final decision as well.

Kentucky fans looking for reason to hope the Wildcats will remain in the running even if Juzang picks UK, as predicted by several pundits, can look to Maxey, a close friend of R.J.’s and fellow Texas native.

“We thought about playing together when they were young, we thought about playing together when they were in middle school, we thought about playing together in high school, AAU, so one of these times it’s got to work,” Rod Hampton said with a laugh. “Maybe the eighth time is the charm.”

[Deleted User 89]

i think we get Hampton

[NewtonHawk11]

No coincidence that Self was at Hampton's house just hours after he re-classified to 2019.

[CrimsonNBlue]

Kentucky wouldn't make any sense.

If Hampton wants exposure, then Kansas is the obvious pick.

Tech and Memphis can probably offer the same kind of playing time, though. But, not anymore playing time.

If no Hampton, makes me question how deep this shoe scandal problem is.

[Cascadia]

Kentucky wouldn't make any sense.

If Hampton wants exposure, then Kansas is the obvious pick.

Tech and Memphis can probably offer the same kind of playing time, though. But, not anymore playing time.

If no Hampton, makes me question how deep this shoe scandal problem is.

The Titanic, bro

[NDballer13]

Kentucky wouldn't make any sense.

If Hampton wants exposure, then Kansas is the obvious pick.

Tech and Memphis can probably offer the same kind of playing time, though. But, not anymore playing time.

If no Hampton, makes me question how deep this shoe scandal problem is.

The Titanic, bro

Has it reached tax evasion level yet?

[jhawks99]

Invasion

[PhDhawk]

If I were to place a bet right now, I'd go with KU gets at least 2 of Hampton, Enaruna, and Holyfield. I'd even lean towards all 3.

If we were living at any time prior to the last 12 months or so, I'd agree with you whole-heartedly.

After all the shit recently, I'm taking the wait and see approach. I hope you're right.

[jfish26]

Kentucky wouldn't make any sense.

If Hampton wants exposure, then Kansas is the obvious pick.

Tech and Memphis can probably offer the same kind of playing time, though. But, not anymore playing time.

If no Hampton, makes me question how deep this shoe scandal problem is.

The Titanic, bro

Has it reached tax evasion level yet?

Of course, it's overwhelmingly likely that serious tax evasion has in fact been occurring with respect to college basketball recruiting, for dozens of years.

[Lonestarjayhawk]

Here is another name from past in the transfer portal....Shakur Juiston.

He is a grad transfer who got a medical redshirt for his senior year. One year remaining. Able to play imediately.

[CrimsonNBlue]

We offered him out of Hutch CC.

Would much rather have Silvio.

[TDub]

Thought that name sounded familiar

[TDub]

And not just because of Tupac dammit