Kentucky Basketball: Breaking down the 2019 recruiting class

Kentucky basketball is always one of the top recruiting programs in the nation. How will their incoming five-man class impact the team?

Nobody should be surprised when Kentucky basketball lands one of the best recruiting classes in the country. Behind the superb leadership of head coach John Calipari, they are always near the top of the national rankings and there is not a single program in the nation better when it comes to sending players to the NBA. The Wildcats seemingly need to reload half of their roster every single year and Coach Cal is always prepared to bring in the best possible talent for the team.

With regards to this coming season, Kentucky landed the No. 2 overall class in the country. With a few players leaving for the NBA this offseason, the program was able to secure five commitments for the future and they will all be looking to help guide the team to a deep postseason run. It is also important to mention that the program landed a highly-touted immediately-eligible transfer in Nate Sestina from Bucknell and they are still in the race for adding Kerry Blackshear Jr.

While Kentucky has clearly been tremendously successful under Coach Cal over the past several years, they only have one championship and it seems like only a matter of time before that number increases. These five commits, all of whom are ranked in the top-110 of the class, should all play major minutes right away for the team during this coming season.

It is also important to mention that the coaching staff is clearly embracing positionless basketball with their recruiting scheme. This could thus be one of UK’s more interesting and versatile teams as a result. Now, let’s dive into each of Kentucky’s incoming freshmen to analyze what they may bring to the table. (Note: All recruiting rankings were found via 247Sports Composite.)