Two Five-Star Forwards Emerging as UK Targets

by:Nick Roush•07/13/17•

@RoushKSR

[caption id="attachment_224636" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Wiseman (Left via USA Basketball) and Williams (right via USA Today)[/caption] John Calipari is in contention for the top five players in the 2018 class, but one class cannot be composed of just the five guys at the top.  You've got to spread it around a little.  He's doing that by going after a few other guys. The thirteenth-ranked player in the 2018 class, 6'8" power forward Emmitt Williams from IMG Academy in Florida, has created more buzz than anybody at the Peach Jam after putting Marvin Bagley on a poster.  He did it to the nation's top-ranked player not once, but twice last night. It was no big deal for Williams.  "I just dunk on any person in front of me," he said today.  What was a big deal for Williams?  Getting a call from Coach K.  "Getting a phone call from him was like talking to God." Just because Williams has an offer from Duke, doesn't mean he's not considering others.  Kentucky first reached out to him earlier this week.  It's still early, but Williams said it would be a blessing to get an offer from UK and get a chance to play with his former EYBL teammate, Kevin Knox. "I always wanted to get an offer from Kentucky and have a chance to go there,” Williams said. Another rising forward had a lot more good things to say about UK.  The No. 6 player in the 2019 class is quite literally rising.  James Wiseman has shot up the rankings as he's grown.  Now the Nashville-area star is near 6'10" and hearing from Joel Justus. "They texted me recently, like everyday," Wiseman said.  "They think that I'll fit well in the system.  Just like everybody else says." What's different between UK's system and others is who has played in it.  When asked who he models his game after, he replied, "Anthony Davis." "He lets people play," Wiseman said of John Calipari.  "Anthony Davis was blocking shots.  I like blocking shots a lot, running the floor, shooting 10 to 15 feet out." The growing, versatile athlete is being recruited by Indiana, North Carolina, Texas and Vandy.  As of right now Wiseman plans to take official visits to three schools: Kansas, Duke and Kentucky. Even though Calipari has just begun to contact these two forwards, he's in great shape with Wiseman.  Williams has asserted himself as one of the best on the Nike Circuit, but his style of play doesn't fit like Wiseman's.  The lengthy athlete was eager to talk about Kentucky, more than any other school, and that might be why the only Crystal Ball Predictions for Wiseman are to Kentucky. After Calipari spent the first part of the day at the adidas event in Spartanburg, I expect we'll see just how interested he is in these prospects tonight in North Augusta, South Carolina.

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