NCAA Basketball: Ranking the 12 teams in play for 5-star CG Hunter Sallis

With the exception of Creighton grad transfer Davion Mintz, the perimeter for Kentucky Basketball will be filled with five-star freshmen. Devin Askew is the primary ball-handler of the group, while Terrence Clarke and BJ Boston have All-American potential. All three of them, along with Mintz, will very likely be gone, leaving a huge need for a new crop of guards.

Recent top-50 commit Nolan Hickman gives the Wildcats a pure point guard in the 2021 class and could start alongside Sallis. They compliment each other’s games well in the backcourt but there are a pair of other five-star prospects who could complicate things.

Jaden Hardy is the top-rated combo guard in the 2021 class, ranked in the top-5 overall. Right now, it looks as if Kentucky and Memphis are the leaders for the star playmaker, who could wait until the Spring to make a decision. The other player to keep an eye on is top-10 overall combo guard Skyy Clark, who currently is in the 2022 class but rumors are there that he may reclassify to play in the same year as Sallis.

The Wildcats are the early favorites for him, so at least one of the three would have to go elsewhere. An early commitment by Sallis himself could force the others to make a decision though and there’s a clear pathway for the five-star guard to start at arguably the biggest name in college basketball. It’s nearly impossible to pass up Kentucky but for a player who has risen as high as Sallis has, there’s always the possibility that he isn’t ready to play for one season and go pro.

If he struggles, it’s hard to avoid getting recruited over and being placed on the bench. There’s always a risk in playing for this program, just ask former five-star wing Khalil Whitney from last season.