• Shai Alexander

  • Combo Guard (PG,SG) | 6 ft. 4 inches | 185 lbs. |
  • High School – Hamilton Heights (Chattanooga, TN)
  • Hometown – Hamilton, Ontario

• To begin taking a look at Kentucky’s already talented recruiting class, we start with the lengthy combo guard out of Ontario, Canada. Shai Alexander, ranked 44th overall by ESPN, jumped onto John Calipari’s radar rather late compared to most recruits he has been chasing. Alexander was previously committed to Florida before announcing he would open up his recruitment early in October. With the need to replenish guards for the upcoming year assuming they would lose mostly all guards if not all of them, Calipari heated things up quickly, and ultimately gained Alexander’s commitment early on in November in time for the early signing period. Alexander is known as a player who could effectively play both point guard and shooting guard. He has a polished passing game, a 6-10 wingspan that allows him to compete on the boards, and can get to the basket just as good as any other combo slashing guard in the country. Welcome home Shai, enjoy some of his highlights below.

 

• Quade Green

  • Point Guard (PG) | 6 ft. 1 inch | 175 lbs |
  • High School – Neumann-Goretti HS (Philadelphia, PA)
  • Hometown – Philadelphia, PA

• The second, and maybe the most important addition early on to this class is Quade Green. Ranked by ESPN 22nd overall in the country, this elite point guard/leader surprised most of the country when committing to John Calipari over Jim Boeheim and the Syracuse Orange. As stated earlier, with a huge exiting movement to the NBA draft after this season, Kentucky will lack guard depth, but more importantly – their leader and floor general. That is exactly what coach Calipari gained with Green’s commitment and signature. Green lead the Nike circuit in both assists and steals over the past summer, and is known to be one of the fiercest competitors in the country. His “will to win” stands out even among other top prospects. Not only does Green bring his own talents to Lexington, but he has been heard saying multiple times that he would like to convince other top recruits to join him in Rupp Arena – such as his EYBL teammate and number 2 overall recruit; Mohamed Bamba. Big Blue Nation welcomes you Quade, and hey – bring as many as you can with you homie. To make your night better, watch his highlights below:

 

• PJ Washington

  • Forward (SF,PF) | 6 ft. 8 inches | 230 lbs. |
  • High School – Findlay Prep (Las Vegas, NV)
  • Hometown – Frisco, TX

• My personal favorite Kentucky commit and signee, and the next on our list is highly touted PJ Washington. Ranked as 16th overall by ESPN recruiting services, Washington is known as one of the most powerful and dominant fowards in the nations. Many analysts peg him to be one of the better rebounders in the country, who can also guard multiple positions and score easily in the post. While he is still trying to develop his offensive game and outside jumpshot, PJ appears to enter every game “mad at the rim”, yanking on it time and time again. If Kentucky fans want an athletic, electrifying big man with amazing upside – look no further. Ready to see ya in Blue PJ. You can view his monstrous highlights below:

 

• Nick Richards

  • Center (C) | 6 ft. 11 inches | 230 lbs. |
  • High School – Patrick School, New Jersey
  • Hometown – Queens, NY

• The fourth member of this recruiting class is John Calipari’s next big man, Nick Richards. Ranked as highly as 12th overall in the nation by ESPN, and a top 4-5 center, Richard’s potential is through the roof. A very long defender and shot blocker, Nick will immediately help Kentucky on the defensive end, as well as with rebounding; being as he is also talked about as one of the country’s best rebounders along-side his new teammate Washington. With the City of Palms classic just finishing before Christmas, Richards was noted as one of the most impressive overall players there. Not only that, but earlier in his recruiting, he was known to have a raw, undeveloped offensive game that needed work. After his senior year of high school has started up in New Jersey, it is very apparent that Richards as been working to improve his scoring ability and versatility on the offensive end of the floor. Some might compare Richards to come in and play a similar role to former Cats such as Willie Cauley-Stein or Nerlens Noel. Regardless of his comparisons, Kentucky fans should be excited about this athletic center headed to Lexington. Highlights below.

 

• Jarred Vanderbilt

  • Forward (SF,PF) | 6 ft. 8 inches | 205 lbs. |
  • High School – Victory Prep (Houston, TX)
  • Hometown – Houston, TX

• The most recent commitment of Kentucky’s recruiting class was one of John Calipari’s most sought after wing players. In the past few years, Calipari has been somewhat criticized of his lack of being able to bring true wing players to Lexington such as Brandon Ingram and Jayson Tatum. Let the criticism end here, because Vanderbilt was hands down one of the top remaining wing players in the country with the likes of Kevin Knox and Hamidou Diallo. At 6’8, Vanderbilt sets himself apart from other players his size because he facilitates the ball so well, and also is able to rebound and use his speed in transition. His outside jumpshot is questionable as of now, but that is something that an athlete such as him can improve before his collegiate season even starts. What makes Vanderbilt such an important addition is his ability to play and to guard multiple positions, and make plays around the basket as well as from the perimeter. Before injuring his foot over the summer, Vanderbilt was in the top-10 overall conversation, and could very easily make strides right back into that group before his senior season is over. After his commitment on Friday, Kentucky already has an outstanding recruiting class and is well on their way to another number one ranking in recruiting. Welcome to Lex, Jarred. Let’s get to work. Watch his highlights below: