Kentucky Basketball: Breaking down the 2018 recruiting class
G Ashton Hagans – Covington, GA
Although originally a member of the 2019 recruiting class, Ashton Hagans reclassified to join the 2018 group. An electrifying point guard with elite athleticism, Hagans is ranked as the No. 12 recruit in the country and the top point guard prospect. With insane quickness and speed in the open floor, Hagans is an absolute blur with the ball in his hands. Remember how De’Aaron Fox and John Wall looked in Kentucky uniforms? Yeah, Hagans is that fast.
He runs the floor better than anyone in the nation and has no trouble locking in mentally on both ends of the floor. At 6-foot-4, Hagans can defend either guard position and is always eager to take on one of the toughest defensive matchups. Defense may be his calling card as a freshman but he is no slouch offensively either. Although not a tremendously good shooter, Hagans can get to the basket with relative ease due to an elite first step. Once in the lane, he has a variety of moves around the basket, the most common of which being a straight-line drive resulting in a high-flying jam. He is also a solid playmaker, rounding out his skills as an all-around top-notch point guard.
During this past season for Newton High School, Hagans averaged 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 10.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. Hard to argue with that kind of production.
As far as how Hagans might fit into the rotation for 2018-19, he will be one of the three players competing for the starting point guard spot. Because of his limitations as a shooter, Hagans is unlikely to receive much time as an off-guard and therefore will either be the starter or the back-up at the point. Both Quade Green and previously mentioned Immanuel Quickley will also compete at point guard.
According to Kentucky Sports Radio’s TJ Walker, Hagans is already impressing at practice for the Wildcats (A Sea of Blue):
"“Hagans is supposedly the most athletic player on the team, fastest with the ball in his hands, best on the ball defender and I’m told that he could be in the conversation for the best player on the team come March. I was told other guards are better in certain areas (shooting specifically) but it’s clear that Hagans is the best ‘all-around’ point guard.”"