Skip to main content
KSRKSR Plus
KSBoard
Kentucky
Join KSR+

KSR's top takeaways from the 2025 adidas 3SSB Championships

Zack Geogheganby: Zack Geoghegan07/14/25ZGeogheganKSR

The 2025 adidas 3SSB “Palmetto Road” Championships wrapped up in Rock Hill, SC, on Sunday. KSR was in the gym from Thursday through Sunday to soak in the action, getting first-hand looks at Mark Pope‘s favorite recruiting targets for the Kentucky Wildcats on the adidas circuit. While on site, I focused primarily on the 2026 prospects, but there were a handful of 2027s the UK coaches made sure to keep close eyes on throughout the week.

Let’s dive into my top takeaways from a fun week of watching hoops.

Want more Kentucky Basketball intel? Join KSR Plus for access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.

Mark Pope — and his assistants — were everywhere

College coaches were allowed inside the gym starting Thursday, the first day of the July live period. Mark Pope wasted no time making his presence felt. On Thursday and Friday, he was joined by assistant coach Cody Fueger. For Saturday and Sunday, assistant coach Jason Hart was the one in the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center.

While at 3SSB, Pope and his assistants had courtside seats for the likes of Tay Kinney, Caleb Holt, Deron Rippey Jr., Bruce Branch III, Anthony Thompson, Cam Williams, Billy White III, Nasir Anderson, Martay Barnes, and more. Notably, Kinney, a Bluegrass native who has been rumored to be a Louisville lean as of late, had Pope watching every game he could during the week. Rippey Jr., Holt, Branch, Thompson, and Williams constantly had Pope or a UK assistant watching their games, as well.

But Pope didn’t just stay in Rock Hill all week. On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Kentucky’s second-year head coach would leave adidas early in the afternoon. A couple of hours later, I’d see social media posts of him in North Augusta, GA, to check out his favorite Nike recruits at Peach Jam. Pope had eyes on the likes of Tyran Stokes, Baba Oladotun, Bryson Howard, and many more.

Sunday in Rock Hill featured early-morning championship games (where Hart was in attendance), so instead of making another trip back to the adidas circuit, Pope elected to support his former players. He was spotted in Las Vegas at the NBA Summer League with Boston Celtics’ second-round pick Amari Williams.

The man literally does not have enough time in his schedule to fit in a full eight hours of sleep each night.

Two new UK official visits scheduled

The biggest news out of the week was the scheduling of official visits for a pair of top Kentucky targets.

KSR learned that four-star PG Deron Rippey Jr. (No. 14 overall in 2026) will visit Lexington from August 1-3 and that five-star SG Caleb Holt (No. 4 overall in 2026) will make his way to campus from September 5-7. Kentucky appears to be ramping things up very quickly with Rippey, who has seen his stock explode in recent months. Holt is also hearing more and more from the ‘Cats as his recruitment begins to hit a peak.

So far, only Tay Kinney and Tyran Stokes have taken official visits to Kentucky this summer. Anthony Thompson, who has been on campus for unofficials in the past, will be next to schedule a trip to UK for sometime this fall. Other non-adidas players such as Miikka Muurinen, Jordan Smith Jr., Ikenna Alozie, and a few more could also lock in Kentucky OVs over the next few months. It’s still early in the process for most recruits.

But it’s clear that Rippey Jr. and Holt are primary targets for Pope and Co. right now. I would keep a close eye on Thompson, too, as he begins to cut his list and schedule his OVs.

The best Kentucky targets I watched

2027 SF Bruce Branch III (6-7, 190) Compton Magic | No. 7 overall in 2027

  • I left Rock Hill convinced that Bruce Branch III was the best prospect I saw all week — and he was playing up a year as a 2027 recruit. With plenty of size and length at 6-foot-7, Branch can get to his spots with ease and score at all three levels. How easy and natural he made the game look, despite playing against older competition, was eye-catching. He’s already incredibly talented right now, but it’s what he could turn into a couple of years down the road that makes him even more intriguing. There are areas he still needs to work on, his ball-handling being one that stood out to me, but Branch will be in the conversation for the No. 1 overall spot in 2027 as he continues throughout his high school career. Kentucky is putting itself in the mix early.

2026 SF Anthony Thompson (6-8, 185) Indiana Elite | No. 12 overall in 2026

  • Not far behind Branch as my favorite player to watch was Anthony Thompson, who went for multiple 30-point games in close wins for Indiana Elite. Thompson might even be lankier than Branch, which he uses to his advantage on both ends. He can score around the rim, showed off his outside shooting stroke, and used his height to nail a handful of turnaround jumpers. Defensively, he comes out of nowhere to block shots and is quick enough on his feet to stay in front of most ball handlers. Thompson was consistently impressive in Rock Hill and was generating a ton of buzz from national media folks in attendance.

2026 PG Deron Rippey Jr. (6-2, 175) New Heights | No. 17 overall in 2026

  • Deron Rippey Jr. is as explosive as they come. Built like a running back, his quick twitch movements make him incredibly tough to stay in front of. He can shoot from several feet beyond the three-point line just as easily as he can rise up and throw down a highlight dunk over a taller defender. Rippey Jr. looks like the no-doubt best point guard in 2026. You won’t find many players more confident in their abilities than him. He’s the definition of a “dog” on the hardwood.

2026 SG Caleb Holt (6-5, 200) Game Elite | No. 4 overall in 2026

  • It’s easy to see why Caleb Holt is so highly ranked in the 2026 class. His goal of being a better Otega Oweh isn’t as crazy as it might sound on the surface. What stood out the most to me was his ability to knock down tough, contested shots inside the arc. Whether it was at the rim, just outside the paint, or in the mid-range, Holt found ways to put the ball in the bucket. We can’t forget to talk about his toughness and willingness to fight on defense, too. Holt led Game Elite to the championship victory — this is a winning prospect who isn’t afraid of the limelight.

Honorable Mentions (non-Kentucky targets):

  • SG Colben Landrew (6-5, 210) Game Elite | Uncommitted (No. 71 overall)
  • PG Luke Ertel (6-1, 170) Indiana Elite | Committed to Purdue (No. 97 overall)
  • SG Christian Wiggins (6-3, 170) D1 Minnesota | Committed to Iowa State (No. 102 overall)

Discuss This Article

Comments have moved.

Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.

KSBoard

2025-12-05