What Cason Wallace's commitment means for Kentucky

2022 five-star guard Cason Wallace is a Kentucky Wildcat, announcing his commitment to the program late Sunday evening. It’s UK’s fourth addition in the class, with the 6-foot-4 prospect joining Shaedon Sharpe, Chris Livingston and Skyy Clark.

What does Wallace’s commitment mean for Kentucky and its recruiting efforts moving forward?

A certified winner at every level

As a junior, he led his Richardson High School squad to a 26-2 overall record and 14-0 finish in league play, with the Eagles making it all the way to the 6A state semifinals in Texas before falling to national powerhouse Duncanville. He then led his ProSkills EYBL (TX) squad to an impressive 12-1 final record at Peach Jam before being named to the All-Star team at the NBPA Top 100 Camp just one week later.

Now, MaxPreps lists Richardson as the No. 7 team in the nation in its preseason high school rankings, good for second in the state behind Duncanville (No. 5). A winning player leads to winning expectations, a reputation that will follow him to Lexington.

A high-level defender to match scoring

Kentucky had an interesting decision to make this summer as the evaluation periods came to a close and the in-person recruiting period ramped up. Following impressive performances from both Wallace and fellow five-star prospect Nick Smith Jr. at Peach Jam, UK decided to offer each of the standout guards.

The former is known as arguably the best defender in the class, while the latter is considered one of the top scorers among seniors. Both players loved Kentucky and were at arm’s reach for the program, depending on preference.

UK had been prioritizing pure shooting and skill, making Smith an intriguing prospect for the program. Wallace, however, stood out as a versatile all-around threat, a plug-and-play piece that complemented the other scoring Kentucky was going after and ultimately earned commitments from in the class.

At the end of the day, Kentucky fell in love with Wallace’s competitiveness and day-one defensive impact, pushing the program to go after the top-10 prospect. Smith ultimately committed to SEC foe Arkansas while UK ended up earning a pledge from Wallace.

Kentucky’s class is likely complete

John Calipari is looking to run a four-out, perimeter-oriented offense in 2022-23, and he’s got the pieces to do it. Clark, Wallace, Sharpe and Livingston make up the one, two, three and four, with the individual players interchangeable at each position. He went for versatility and earned pledges from four players that can play at least two, sometimes three positions. That’s a start.

Sure, there’s a glaring hole at that five spot. Kentucky missed on all three of its high school center options in Dereck Lively II, Kyle Filipowski and Adem Bona, with no other legitimate options available in the class. The remaining prospects don’t fit the immediate-impact category UK is looking for, and the reclassification options in 2023 aren’t very appealing either.

As a result, what you see is what you get. Wallace’s commitment is expected to be the final high school piece Kentucky takes in 2022, rounding out an impressive group of five-star prospects. From here, Calipari is expected to hit the transfer portal and sign the best available big(s) in college basketball.

UK will monitor the situations of Oscar Tshiebwe, Daimion Collins and Lance Ware to see who explores their professional and transfer options. Should they have any departures, Calipari will find replacements in the portal accordingly. Plenty of high-profile options were available this past offseason, and the same is expected next spring.

Just don’t expect any late high school frontcourt pieces to come to fruition.

No. 1 again?

The Wildcats have locked up four top-15 commitments, with three being ranked in the top seven. Sharpe is rated as the No. 1 prospect in the On3 Consensus Rankings, followed by Livingston at No. 5, Wallace at No. 7, and Clark at No. 13.

As things stand today, Kentucky has the No. 1 recruiting class in America, followed by Duke, Oregon, UCLA and Texas to round out the top five, per the On3 Team Rankings.

Duke is a threat to overtake UK for the top spot, likely only needing one more commitment in the class to move up. Both schools have four commitments, so the Blue Devils would earn No. 1 simply from a quantity perspective. The only issue with that scenario is that there is only one more prospect Duke is going after in the class in five-star wing Mark Mitchell, who is also considering UCLA and Missouri. The Blue Devils had been previously seen as the favorite to land his commitment, but the Bruins are picking up steam in his recruitment.

Should UCLA land his commitment, they’d have pledges from Amari Bailey (No. 4), Mitchell (No. 8), Adem Bona (No. 9) and Dylan Andrews (No. 39), four top-40 prospects in the On3 Consensus. With UK boasting four top-15 prospects and three in the top seven, Calipari’s group would still grade out as the best.

It’s not a lock Kentucky finishes No. 1 in the final rankings, but tonight’s news gives the Wildcats a legitimate shot.