Kentucky still in communication with five-star point guard Jaden Bradley

John Calipari and his staff have seemingly lasered in on a select few when it comes to class of 2022 guards, and many have thought that Jaden Bradley was out of the running.

But not so fast. While it’s true that momentum in Bradley’s recruitment has shifted away from him being a Kentucky lean, the Wildcat coaches are still in constant communication with the 6-foot-3 ball handler. During this week’s NBPA Top 100 Camp down in Orlando, FL, Bradley left the event as the Most Valuable Player on the team that won the championship game on the final day.

But before he took home MVP honors, he spoke to the media on Thursday and gave a quick update on his recruitment process. Bradley told reporters that he’s still in contact with Calipari and the UK staff.

“I talk to Coach Cal and the assistants all the time through text messages,” Bradley said. “Just telling me to stay in the gym, keep getting better and keeping in contact, building a relationship.”

It wasn’t long ago that Bradley was once viewed as a lock to eventually commit to Kentucky. That has quickly changed in recent months as the Wildcats are zeroing in on other guard prospects such as Shaedon Sharpe, Cason Wallace, and Nick Smith Jr. But that being said, Bradley appears to still be an option, even if he is near the bottom of the group. Bradley is rated by 247 Sports as a four-star product while Rivals has him as a five-star right now. He plays his high school ball at IMG Academy down in Bradenton, FL.

Bradley didn’t take a visit to Lexington during June but told the media he could foresee himself making the trip at some point.

“I’m not sure yet,” Bradley said about potentially checking out Kentucky. “We’ll probably talk about it and get a visit and figure out a date or something.”

During the month of June, Bradley went on official visits to Alabama, Arizona, Michigan, and North Carolina. When he spoke with the media in Orlando, he explained that Alabama, Arizona, Florida State, and Gonzaga are the four teams after him the hardest right now. He has future visits planned to check out Florida State and Gonzaga later this year, as well.

The sense is that Bradley is trending toward picking the Alabama Crimson Tide, as they offered him not long after Kentucky did in late 2019 while also getting him on campus the weekend of June 11. Anything can happen, but it would still be a shock at this point if Bradley ultimately commits to Kentucky.