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Kentucky Basketball: Wildcats hoping to benefit from Jayden Quaintance reclassification

By Tristan Freeman

Nov 29, 2022; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Oscar Tshiebwe (34) celebrates a basket during the first half against the Bellarmine Knights at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 29, 2022; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Oscar Tshiebwe (34) celebrates a basket during the first half against the Bellarmine Knights at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports /
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The reported move by five-star big man Jayden Quaintance could be a benefit to Kentucky Basketball, who has been after him hard all Summer.

Throughout this week in the Nike EYBL AAU circuit, many of the top prospects in both the 2024 and 2025 recruiting classes have been showcasing their skills. That includes Jayden Quaintance, a consensus five-star forward/center in the 2025 group.

Originally from Raleigh, North Carolina, Quaintance is a 6’10 big man with a body already made for the college and even pro level. He’s a tremendous physical player that can rebound and defend at a high level and even has a mid-range shot. He’s been impressive this Summer, showing that he can impact the game at both ends.

Big programs have been after Quaintance for a while, with him getting offers from Kansas, Washington, and Oregon. But one program that has been hard after the big man is Kentucky Basketball, which has been landing a ton of top prospects out of high school in the past couple of months.

With the news that Quaintance is moving up a class to potentially play in the 2024-25 season, the Wildcats may have found their answer to the power forward situation. They landed West Virginia transfer Tre Mitchell for the upcoming season and have five-star big man Aaron Bradshaw on the roster, who is likely a one-and-done to the NBA.

If they’re gone, then the SEC program could use another big man. It’s not a given that Quaintance can play the four-spot and spread the floor enough to make it work but if he ends up Kentucky bound, he’ll have to slide over. That’s because the team not only already has sophomore Ugonna Onyenso on the roster but they got a commitment from top-30 big Somto Cyril, who is part of the 2024 class.

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Kentucky is going to be after several players in the 2024 class since they’re going to reload. The question now is can they both land the commitment of Quaintance and how he’d fit in the future roster? But with a talent like his, you just have to find a way to make it work.

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