Should Kentucky pursue Texas de-commit Ron Holland?

Kentucky’s 2023-24 basketball roster construction has been fluid, to say the least.

With more players facing conflicted stay-or-go decisions than any year in the past, the look of next season’s squad has ebbed on a weekly basis from the moment the Wildcats prematurely exited the NCAA tournament. The latest wrinkle in the ongoing player availability kerfuffle dropped on Friday when Ron Holland de-committed from the University of Texas.

On3 ranks the 5-star, 6’8″ forward out of Duncanville, Texas #6 overall in the 2023 recruiting class, just behind Kentucky signee DJ Wagner.

UK hosted Holland on an official visit on June 13 and offered him at its conclusion. However, according to KSR’s Jack Pilgrim, Holland and his family interpreted Calipari’s relatively late scholarship offer as a lack of interest and cut Kentucky from consideration when whittling the list down to three.

Now that he is back on the market, should Kentucky go after him again?

First off, Ron Holland can absolutely ball. He is a projected 2024 NBA lottery pick and a quick glance at his YouTube highlight reels will have you salivating for his name to be on the back of a Kentucky jersey. From a talent standpoint alone, Calipari would be crazy not to at least give this guy a call.

But, of course, seriously pursuing him would have some trickle-down roster effects.

The collateral roster impact Holland would bring

After Hunter Dickinson visited Kentucky last Sunday, he made the trip up to Villanova this weekend and a decision on where he will play next season is likely imminent. While the debate around whether to take a potential Dickinson commitment soon rather than wait and see what Oscar Tshiebwe‘s future holds has been the topic of great debate. Now, taking a Dickinson commitment might also eliminate Kentucky from the Ron Holland sweepstakes.

With Dickinson a starter at the 5, incoming five-star freshman Aaron Bradshaw would then get his wish and stay at the 4. That would leave Wagner, Rob Dillingham, Antonio Reeves (presumably), and Justin Edwards to battle for the other three starting positions. To add Holland to the mix would most certainly complicate matters further. Calipari is running out of minutes to give out.

Then again, if Chris Livingston decides to come back, Calipari would most certainly welcome him with open arms and he would therefore be in a similar situation. So, perhaps that scenario is not as big of a problem after all.

That being said, if Livingston had any inclination to come back but saw Holland is on the roster, that would almost assuredly end that possibility.

Another thing to consider is the fact that, while many expect it, Reeves has not officially announced his return to college. If a pro career works out better for him, Kentucky all of a sudden needs another playmaker. Hypothetically, if Calipari were to receive a Holland commitment, Reeves may reconsider if coming back to Lexington is in his best interest.

The bottom line is that it is very complicated.

What would a Kentucky lineup look like with Holland?

This is probably the least likely scenario, but give me an all-freshman lineup of Wagner, Dillingham, Edwards, Holland, and Bradshaw. In my optimistic mind, this team steamrolls through 95% of the competition, wins a title, and returns Kentucky to the one-and-done capital of the basketball world when all five players get drafted in the 2024 NBA lottery.

With Reeves coming off the bench, Ugonna Onyenso taking strides as the backup center, and Reed Sheppard coming in to drill the occasional big shot, this fast-paced, entertaining, modern brand of basketball could be one of the most beloved Kentucky teams in the Calipari era.

Alas, this is most likely a pipe dream, even in the longshot chance that Holland would come to Kentucky. Calipari and Bradshaw seem insistent on playing two 7-footers at the same time, which would mean Holland would have to battle for playing time with Edwards. It is very possible this could work but seems unlikely.

Kentucky has seen a similar situation before and passed

Just a few weeks ago, five-star Mackenzie Mgbako de-committed from Duke and hit the open market. Mgbako has a similar profile as Holland, as both are athletic 6’8″ wings who can score. The situation wasn’t entirely the same for a variety of reasons, but Calipari and his staff showed little-to-no interest in re-recruiting On3’s 8th-ranked player in the country.

Will they feel the same way about Ron Holland?

Early rumors suggest that Arkansas has the initial edge on Holland, however, UCLA was Holland’s other finalist. It would also stand to reason that Ole Miss would have a good shot now that Chris Beard, the coach who Holland chose to play for at Texas, is now in Oxford.

If anything, this is the reason Cal should most certainly go after him. Forget roster impact and minute distribution. Anthony Davis was the first overall pick and took the fifth most shots, remember? With Eric Musselman, Nate Oats, and now Chris Beard vying for SEC prestige, recruiting a player like Holland over them would be the swaggy Cal flex this program would love to see.

Collecting a massive amount of talent, winning, and then springboarding these guys into the NBA is what has made Kentucky, Kentucky these last 14 years. It is unknown if Holland would be interested, but that is a phone call Calipari has to make.