The Kentucky basketball staff has been very active since June 15, reaching out early to some of the best players in the 2022 class. Cats Illustrated has tracked over two dozen prospects that have been in contact contact with John Calipari or his assistants.
One of the most recent targets is
Dereck Lively
. The seven-footer is ranked No. 41 nationally by Rivals. He already has a loaded offer sheet that includes Florida, Florida State, Georgetown, LSU, Maryland, Memphis, Miami, Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt, SMU, Temple, UCLA, Western Kentucky, and Xavier.
Lively stars at the Westtown School in Pennsylvania. He also is a member of Team Final of the EYBL circuit. That resume alone guarantees strong competition and maximum exposure. From all indications there is a lot to see from his game.
"He's very long, very rangy, " Coach Wayne Jones of Team Final told Cats Illustrated on Friday night. "He's like a natural shot blocking machine without even jumping. He's very good at walling up. He closes out very well to the three-point shot, just really long. He also has a very soft touch, and he is a decent passer as well."
Jones has been alongside Lively for several years, and over that time he has seen a work in progress that is starting to tap into his potential.
"I've seen his progression since the eighth grade. I coached him since the eighth grade. His steady improvement is scary. It's like he gets better every year. Every time you see him he has added something to his game. Early on you really didn't have to have the eye to see it because he wasn't ready. In the eighth grade he really wasn't ready. Then I started to see it more in the summer that this kid could be really good. He wouldn't stop growing, still growing, still growing (laughing), and he's a really good kid."
The future is bright for Lively, and that is what college basketball fans are interested in. However, Jones feels that the diamond in the rough has been shined to enough to the point Lively can dominate games in the present.
"His best basketball is definitely in front of him, but it's scary to say how good of a player he is today. He definitely is an instant impact, especially a guy who didn't play his freshman year. So he is definitely an instant impact guy. Whatever college lands him will have a game changer. His presence alone just changes a lot of things. When people see him they tend to not want to go down there. He has games with double-digit blocked shots. He blocks shots and rebounds so well he could literals average a triple-double and I would not be surprised. He also covers so much ground. He runs the floor like a deer, has a soft touch, and he competes. His frame is filling out, but he competes. He will get on the ground and do the dirty work."
Former Rivals national analyst Corey Evans wrote on him back in June. Not only did his assessment align with Jones' but he feared that the No. 41 ranking was too low.
"He has to get stronger and refine various portions of his game, but there are not many near 7-footers that can run the floor as easily, make shots inside and out, and boast the rim-protecting qualities that he endorses within his game. His current ranking is a good place to start, but I am thinking it is the floor of how high he could actually be ranked once his class’ rankings are completed two years from now."
Jones confirmed that Kentucky has reached out to Lively, and that relationship is in the growing stage. He added that they haven't spoken about new blue blooded interest because an offer was not extended. However, he says that is not an issue for the youngster who has yet to play the first game of his junior season.
"It's not a big rush. He's probably going to get to go anywhere he wants to go in the country."
Jones also indicated that there has been no reclassification discussion which could slow the urgency for college coaches and currently allow them to recruit him as a 2022 candidate.
"I don't know that anybody has had any conversation with him about that. We haven't discussed it. He comes from a strong background academically. They take that really seriously. He can have either option he wants."
One of the most recent targets is
Dereck Lively
. The seven-footer is ranked No. 41 nationally by Rivals. He already has a loaded offer sheet that includes Florida, Florida State, Georgetown, LSU, Maryland, Memphis, Miami, Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt, SMU, Temple, UCLA, Western Kentucky, and Xavier.
Lively stars at the Westtown School in Pennsylvania. He also is a member of Team Final of the EYBL circuit. That resume alone guarantees strong competition and maximum exposure. From all indications there is a lot to see from his game.
"He's very long, very rangy, " Coach Wayne Jones of Team Final told Cats Illustrated on Friday night. "He's like a natural shot blocking machine without even jumping. He's very good at walling up. He closes out very well to the three-point shot, just really long. He also has a very soft touch, and he is a decent passer as well."
Jones has been alongside Lively for several years, and over that time he has seen a work in progress that is starting to tap into his potential.
"I've seen his progression since the eighth grade. I coached him since the eighth grade. His steady improvement is scary. It's like he gets better every year. Every time you see him he has added something to his game. Early on you really didn't have to have the eye to see it because he wasn't ready. In the eighth grade he really wasn't ready. Then I started to see it more in the summer that this kid could be really good. He wouldn't stop growing, still growing, still growing (laughing), and he's a really good kid."
The future is bright for Lively, and that is what college basketball fans are interested in. However, Jones feels that the diamond in the rough has been shined to enough to the point Lively can dominate games in the present.
"His best basketball is definitely in front of him, but it's scary to say how good of a player he is today. He definitely is an instant impact, especially a guy who didn't play his freshman year. So he is definitely an instant impact guy. Whatever college lands him will have a game changer. His presence alone just changes a lot of things. When people see him they tend to not want to go down there. He has games with double-digit blocked shots. He blocks shots and rebounds so well he could literals average a triple-double and I would not be surprised. He also covers so much ground. He runs the floor like a deer, has a soft touch, and he competes. His frame is filling out, but he competes. He will get on the ground and do the dirty work."
Former Rivals national analyst Corey Evans wrote on him back in June. Not only did his assessment align with Jones' but he feared that the No. 41 ranking was too low.
"He has to get stronger and refine various portions of his game, but there are not many near 7-footers that can run the floor as easily, make shots inside and out, and boast the rim-protecting qualities that he endorses within his game. His current ranking is a good place to start, but I am thinking it is the floor of how high he could actually be ranked once his class’ rankings are completed two years from now."
Jones confirmed that Kentucky has reached out to Lively, and that relationship is in the growing stage. He added that they haven't spoken about new blue blooded interest because an offer was not extended. However, he says that is not an issue for the youngster who has yet to play the first game of his junior season.
"It's not a big rush. He's probably going to get to go anywhere he wants to go in the country."
Jones also indicated that there has been no reclassification discussion which could slow the urgency for college coaches and currently allow them to recruit him as a 2022 candidate.
"I don't know that anybody has had any conversation with him about that. We haven't discussed it. He comes from a strong background academically. They take that really seriously. He can have either option he wants."
