NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Ranking the 7 finalists for 2022 C Dereck Lively
2. Kentucky Wildcats
Head coach John Calipari is a bit busy right now, trying to land big man Jalen Duren for potentially the next season. If he lands him (for the 2021 class), Duren’s almost a guaranteed one-and-done player, so it wouldn’t affect Lively a year later. The team also has West Virginia transfer Oscar Tshiebwe on the roster but I’m not sure he’ll be around a year from now.
The Wildcats had a rough year but should be back on track. Of course, they’re at the point where almost the entire roster turns over. Kentucky does have five-star guard Skyy Clark part of the 2022 class and is considered the favorite to get top-5 overall wing Chris Livingston. Considering how many players from here ends up in the NBA and the likely immiedtate playing time he’ll get with the Wildcats, Lively could do worse than this option.
1. Michigan Wolverines
No program has more momentum on the recruiting trail than Juwan Howard and the Michigan Wolverines, coming off of landing the No. 1 overall class for 2021, led by multiple five-star forward prospects in Moussa Diabate and Caleb Houston. They’ll be a preseason top-5 team next season if All-American center Hunter Dickinson returns, forming a top-tier frontcourt.
It’s very likely that Dickinson will be gone after next season, along with one of the top freshman. Lively can come in at center and start immiedately, surrounded by quality guards and working with former NBA big man Coach Howard and a coaching staff already credited with developing bigs.
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Between the playing time and a proven head coach in Howard, Michigan could make the best case to Lively that doesn’t involve any real risk, as it would with Duke and UNC currently. As long as Dickinson isn’t around, there’s really no true cons with this option for the five-star center prospect, which makes them potentially the team to beat in the end.