Kentucky Basketball: What to expect from the 2017 recruiting class

By Stuart Gill | Jun 2, 2017

Mar 29, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; McDonald's High School All-American players Nicholas Richards (4) and Jarred Vanderbilt and Quade Green (0) and PJ Washington Jr. who will all be attending the University of Kentucky in the fall of 2017 pose for a group photo before the 40th Annual McDonald's High School All-American Game at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

3 of 10

Mar 26, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; McDonalds High School All-American forward Kevin Knox II (23) poses for a photo during the 2017 McDonalds All American Game Portrait Day at Chicago Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

Kevin Knox

Kentucky gained a huge advantage over other perennial National Championship contenders when Kevin Knox committed. At 6-9, 206 pounds, he is an NBA-ready player with unmatched scoring abilities. As a senior at Tampa Catholic school, he averaged 28.9 points and over 11 rebounds, landing him at No. 9 on ESPN’s Top 100.

Check out his senior year mixtape to see him dribble through as many as three defenders at a time to get to the rim or step back to hit shots from deep. His talents set him apart from any player Kentucky had last season.

He is the most versatile recruit in the 2017 class, so it would be shocking to see Knox passed over in favor of Kentucky’s other newcomers — though his status is worth monitoring given the presence of Kentucky’s other impressive forwards, such as Killeya-Jones and the incoming Jarred Vanderbilt.

Even with the competition, expect to see Knox making headlines early and often in his career with scoring outings like what we saw from Malik Monk.

Home/Kentucky Wildcats