KSR Today: Jordan Brand Classic, basketball visitors
It’s a big weekend for the Kentucky basketball program both on and off the court. On one end, two future Wildcats are set to participate in the Jordan Brand Classic in Chicago, which will tip off at 8 p.m. ET at the Chicago Hope Academy. On the other, Kentucky is hosting two extremely important visitors on campus, both for the upcoming 2022-23 roster. The top uncommitted high school senior will be in Lexington, as will one of the top available wings in the transfer portal.
It was also a busy Thursday, with a few news items potentially indicating good news on the horizon with Oscar Tshiebwe. And while we’re at it, the Kentucky women’s basketball team added a much-needed transfer out of the portal.
We’ll break all of it down and more this morning on KSR.
Cason Wallace and Chris Livingston participate in the Jordan Brand Classic
Just over two weeks after taking the floor together at the McDonald’s All-American Game, Kentucky’s duo of signees are set to take the floor in yet another prestigious event. The Jordan Brand Classic is live from Chicago, with Wallace and Livingston participating in the morning practice session on Thursday, followed by the game itself on Friday.
The future Wildcats were two standouts, with KSR live on the scene providing post-practice analysis on both of their games.
While Nick Smith Jr. stole the show offensively, Wallace was the top threat defensively, lurking on the perimeter for turnover opportunities and maintaining tight man-to-man coverage. After starting the morning matched up against Xavier signee Kam Craft, the Kentucky signee switched over to cover Smith, creating one of the best offensive vs. defensive battles of the day. Both sides won their fair share of possessions, including one steal-and-score highlight for Wallace on the Arkansas signee.
Offensively, Wallace played both on and off the ball, facilitating for his teammates while also impressing as a slasher. His biggest highlight of the day — and likely the biggest highlight of anyone — came on an isolation drive to the basket that resulted in a filthy poster dunk on Michigan signee Tarris Reed.
Cason Wallace
It was simply a solid all-around effort for Kentucky’s other signee in attendance. Livingston showed off his versatility defensively, guarding one through four at various parts of the scrimmage. He also fought on the glass and pulled down some strong rebounds in traffic. Offensively, he scored on several breakaway dunk and layup opportunities to go with some interesting finishes in the half-court. A bit cold from deep, Livingston played his best at the small-ball four, catching and driving for tough buckets around the rim. A freight train with a full head of steam, the future Wildcat is a mismatch nightmare in transition.
The 6-foot-7 forward needs to get more consistent with his jumper, but the other aspects of his game are coming together quite nicely. Physically, he’s as college-ready as they come.
Chris Livingston
You will be able to watch the stream for free live on YouTube, with the link found here. The Girls Game will tip at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the Boys Game at 8 p.m. ET.
Leonard Miller and Antonio Reeves visit Kentucky
While Wallace and Livingston compete in Chicago, the Kentucky coaching staff will be fighting to land two new roster additions back in Lexington.
Five-star wing Leonard Miller, the top available high school prospect in the senior class, is taking an official visit to Kentucky. That news came in the midst of the 6-foot-11 wing cutting his list down to three choices, with UK, Arizona and the G League Ignite remaining as the final options. Miller is rated as the No. 11 overall prospect in the class of 2022, exploding in the rankings after a dominant senior campaign where he averaged 32 points per game for Fort Erie International Academy.
What does the Canadian standout like about the Wildcats?
“Just what they do with their players,” he told On3. “The opportunity to come and work for what I want and possibly get a lot of playing time, if I do work for it, and show what I can do at Kentucky. I’ve always liked them and they just have a good history of producing.”
Miller previously visited the G League Ignite facilities before making the trip to Lexington. After Kentucky, he will head to Arizona for one final visit before making a decision.
Elsewhere, Illinois State transfer Antonio Reeves is also in Lexington for a visit, the 6-foot-6 wing’s second trip since entering the portal. He previously visited Nebraska, his only other trip thus far.
Reeves led Illinois State in scoring at 20.1 points per contest, most in the Missouri Valley Conference and top 20 in all of Division I. He shot 46.9% from the field overall to go with 39.0% from three (5.9 attempts per game) and 81.8% from the line.
Needless to say, it’s an important weekend in Lexington.
Norchad Omier, Fardaws Aimaq no longer considering Kentucky
Is good news on the horizon regarding Oscar Tshiebwe’s draft decision? Considering Kentucky is no longer in the running for two of the top frontcourt prospects in the portal, that appears to be the case.
Thursday got started with news that Utah Valley big man Fardaws Aimaq had cut the Wildcats from his list, now focusing on Washington, Iowa, Gonzaga, Texas Tech, and Texas while continuing to test the NBA Draft waters. Kentucky was among the first schools to reach out to the second-best rebounder in college basketball.
Shortly after, Arkansas State star transfer Norchad Omier cut his list down to four schools, with Miami (FL), Georgetown, Texas Tech and Florida State making the final cut. Kentucky was previously seen as a top option for the Sun Belt Player of the Year and went five-deep on a video call recruiting him to Lexington.
From there, though, talk of mutual interest between the parties died down significantly. Now, the Wildcats are no longer being considered.
As momentum stalled with the top frontcourt targets in the portal, optimism is ramping up back in Lexington regarding Tshiebwe’s potential return. The consensus National Player of the Year said this week that a final decision is coming “very soon,” and it appears to be good news for the Wildcats.
“A decision is coming very soon from the big guy upstairs, God,” Tshiebwe said Tuesday. “I’ve been praying and getting closer to a conclusion. I’m going to keep praying these next couple of days. I don’t know when, but it’s coming soon.”
Kentucky WBB adds a transfer
As the men’s basketball team waits for good news, the women’s team received some on Thursday in the form of a new addition out of the portal.
Former Buffalo forward Adebola “Ade” Adeyeye was announced as a new signee for the Wildcats on Thursday afternoon. The 6-foot-2 forward will come to Lexington as a graduate student after spending her first four years with Buffalo, which won the 2022 Mid-American Conference title this past season.
During her senior year with the Bulls, Adeyeye averaged 6.5 points and 6.1 rebounds in 20.2 minutes per outing while shooting over 56 percent from the field. She will be eligible to play right away.
“It was welcome news this week to receive a commitment from Ade and add her to the Kentucky Wildcat family,” Kentucky coach Kyra Elzy announced. “She visited campus recently and I could tell it was a perfect fit right away.”
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