Kentucky Intel from the First Day of Nike EYBL’s Memphis Session

The first session of the Nike EYBL tipped off on Friday in Memphis and it wasn’t a normal experience for the KSR crew covering recruiting. With an entirely new staff, mostly focused on transfers, finding the players with Kentucky interest was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

With the staff in transfer mode, there were still a few out there that are hearing from Mark Pope and company. Here is the latest intel on Kentucky’s high school recruiting efforts from day one of the Nike EYBL.

Still Early in the Process for 2025’s

It’s still very early in the process for the new staff at Kentucky with 2025 prospects. With zero scholarship players from last season’s roster returning, UK is starting from scratch in 2024-25.

That means they’re going to be bringing in a lot of transfers. Transfers Amari Williams (Drexel) and Lamont Butler (SDSU) are incoming transfers, while Travis Perry and Collin Chandler are the two high school commits in 2024. Beyond that, Kentucky is hosting several big transfers on campus for visits this weekend.

Kentucky was previously pursuing 2025 prospects Cam and Cayden Boozer , Darius Acuff , Meleek Thomas , and more. There were still a few high schoolers who mentioned they’ve heard from the staff at Kentucky.

Five-star Caleb Wilson , the No. 4 overall player in the On3 Industry Ranking , told KSR that he’s heard from new Kentucky assistant Alvin Brooks III of the new Kentucky staff. He’s open to hearing more.

He said he’d like to hear more from Kentucky and from more members of the staff. Wilson didn’t seem fazed by a coaching change, instead emphasizing the importance of playing for a blue-blood.

Jasper Johnson is a Priority

While the staff is just getting started with most 2025 recruits, there’s one in particular that’s being made a priority. That’s five-star guard Jasper Johnson , a Lexington native.

The 6-foot-4, 170-pound guard from Link Academy (MO) is the No. 1 combo guard and No. 11 overall prospect in the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking . His father has been recently contacted by head coach Mark Pope and assistants Jason Hart and Alvin Brooks III.

Brooks, in particular, was recruiting Johnson when he was an assistant at Baylor. Now that he’s at Kentucky, the relationship is already there.

AJ Dybantsa

AJ Dybantsa is the No. 1 overall player in the On3 Industry Ranking . He was a priority for the previous Kentucky staff and it looks like he will remain the same for the new staff.

The 6-foot-8, 175-pound small forward is being contacted by several members of the new staff. His father told KSR+ that head coach Mark Pope and assistant coach Jason Hart reached out “a couple of days ago.”

Dybantsa is planning to take visits in the fall and is aiming towards a decision early in 2025. As for Kentucky, “Everybody is on the table,” his father said.

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