The next big Kentucky/Duke battle will be for Cameron Reddish

The addition of Marvin Bagley may have given Duke the edge over Kentucky in the race for the nation’s best recruits, but there’s already another battle on the horizon. Earlier today, Cameron Reddish told Krysten Peek of Rivals.com that he’s nearing a decision, and although he has five schools on his list, most believe it’s down to Kentucky and Duke. The five-star small forward could be the most versatile player in his class, and with all the momentum swinging towards Duke lately, John Calipari desperately needs to land a superstar. Let’s break down Kentucky’s chances, starting with the Cats’ biggest advantage.

PRO: Reddish played for Calipari this summer

Reddish got a taste of what it would be like to play for John Calipari at the FIBA World Cup this summer, and judging by his remarks to Peek, he enjoyed the experience.

“Playing for Team USA under coach Cal gave me a pretty good idea of how he is as a coach. He likes to go and he’s super competitive. I totally understand why players want to play under him because he pushes everyone to be better.”

CON: Reddish’s BFF just committed to Duke

Unfortunately, in that same interview, Reddish raved about Tre Jones, the 2018 point guard that just committed to Duke. Not only are the two close friends, their parents are as well, and Reddish said Jones is already in his ear about coming to Duke. Not helping matters is Reddish retweeting Jones’ tweets about being in the Duke “Brotherhood”:

Ugh.

PRO: Calipari has proven he’ll showcase Reddish’s versatility

At 6’7″, 180 lbs., Reddish is considered a small forward, but he’s so versatile that Calipari started him at point guard on occasion at the FIBA World Cup. Reddish delivered, leading the team in steals and dishing out the second-most assists while averaging 10.7 points per game. By giving Reddish the reins, Cal showed he’s not afraid to let him be a positionless player at Kentucky, a pitch which surely appealed the versatile wing.

CON: He’s playing with Duke players and commits all weekend

The Nike Skills Academy is taking place this week in Los Angeles, bringing together 29 of the top high schoolers and 20 of the top current college players. Unfortunately, zero Kentucky players are there but three current Dukies (Marques Bolden, Grayson Allen, Trevon Duval) are, along with the aforementioned Jones, who will be Reddish’s roommate. That’s a whole lotta people talking about Duke, and none about the Cats, right on the heels of the Blue Devils landing Marvin Bagley.

Double ugh. Can I list the part about Cal starting Reddish at point guard again?