Kentucky contacts Ron Holland following Texas decommitment

Does Kentucky have a shot with five-star forward Ron Holland? At the very least, the Cats are going to try. According to Jon Rothstein, Kentucky has reached out to Holland, who decommitted from Texas on Friday. Per Rothstein, the No. 6 prospect in the On3 Industry Rankings has also heard from Arkansas, Kansas, St. John’s, Georgetown, Kansas State, and the Longhorns, who remain part of his recruitment. Jeff Goodman tweeted this morning that Arkansas and the G-League are the early frontrunners.

Kentucky was one of Holland’s final five, along with Texas, Arkansas, UCLA, and the G-League. The 6’8″ forward from Ducanville, TX took an official visit to Kentucky on June 13, 2022, and received a scholarship offer on the trip. Although John Calipari visited Holland on September 12, talks died down between the two parties and Holland cut the Cats and the G-League from his list in October.

Will Holland give Kentucky a second look this time around? Kentucky’s roster already includes a bevy of five-star freshmen but there’s always room for one more, especially if Chris Livingston keeps his name in the NBA Draft and/or Hunter Dickinson goes elsewhere. Yesterday, Adam Stratton broke down the case for Kentucky pursuing Holland, making good arguments on both sides. The Cats may not be the favorites, but you’ve at least got to try, right?

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Ron Holland Scouting Report

What does Holland offer? Here’s a scouting report from On3’s Jamie Shaw and a summary of his performance at the Nike Hoop Summit last month.

“It is the motor for Holland; that is what you notice first. He has good positional size, but it is how hard he plays – on both ends – that gets people talking. Holland has performed at the highest levels, with Team USA, on Nike’s EYBL circuit, and at Duncanville High. Coming into his junior season, the question mark was the skill set; he has shown some improvement. While the jump shot is still below average, he can use the dribble to get downhill, and he’s developed confidence in his pull-up jumper. Holland is great in transition; he plays above the rim and has the upside to be an excellent defender – both on and off the ball. Production and winning that is what he has done for a while.”

Nike Hoop Summit – 15 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 6 steals

“Ron Holland showed an all around output in this game. The creation aspect intrigued, especially in transition and off straight line drives. This game opened up a little, with lots of transition play. Holland was a standout defender, both guarding the ball and the passing lanes. He created offense and showed off his pop/bounce. Would like to see more creativity off the bounce, develop some counters in the half court. He drew fouls and got to the line.”