Kentucky Basketball: Breaking down the 2018 recruiting class

G Immanuel Quickley – Bel Air, MD

A top-5 point guard in the 2018 recruiting class, Immanuel Quickley comes to Kentucky ranked as the No. 22 recruit in the class. A strong defender and playmaker, Quickley is a true point guard. He sees the floor well, is a comfortable ball handler, and has a variety of moves that allow him to create for himself as well as others. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that he can also be a reliable threat from beyond the 3-point arc. In fact, he won the 3-point contest at the McDonald’s All-America festivities. I know that this stand-still shooting in a non-game situation can be misleading but he proves he can shoot on game film as well.

The expectation is that Quickley can come in and be an immediate playmaker. Kentucky has a ton of scoring options on the roster for this coming season and somebody needs to be a distributor. This is where Quickley can come in. His court vision and passing abilities are tremendous and he also pushes the pace of games in transition well. It is reasonable to expect Quickley to be a major impact guy in his first season on campus. In addition, his defense will keep him on the floor for extended periods of time.

According to The Cats’ Pause, Coach Calipari had some great things to say about his new point guard:

"“Unbelievable work ethic. Long, lanky. Tough, hard-nosed kid who can really shoot the ball. You’ve got that plus being able to play point. He’s going to be a good player.”"

While it remains to be seen who will be the starting guard for Kentucky next season, you can expect a fierce competition for the spot. Returning starter Quade Green will have a tough time retaining his role considering the arrivals of Quickley as well as Ashton Hagans (more on him in a bit).