As we get closer to the Early Signing Period information is starting to become more available on the best available prospects. Here is what @Travis Graf and I are hearing.
Hunter Sallis
Travis Graf - I put in a pick for Hunter Sallis on Sunday afternoon after talking with David and with writers from other sites, plus another source. Kentucky has the momentum in the recruitment and sources close to the Kentucky program are confident as well. On the Kentucky side, they don’t believe that they’re the run away favorite, but they wouldn’t trade their spot with anyone else. The Kentucky sources say that they would use him the same way that they used Jamal Murray — an off-ball scorer and secondary facilitator.
David Sisk - Kentucky is getting a lot of buzz with Sallis, and from everything I heard this weekend where there
is smoke there is fire. An individual we speak with in Omaha has several sources who are around the five-star guard. His belief is that it is Kentucky first with Creighton and North Carolina fighting out behind them. He made it sound if they both might be a distant second. He had several reasons for thinking this.
1) Kentucky was the offer that he wanted more than any other along with Duke. The Blue Devils didn’t step up so that leaves the Wildcats alone. He says it it a common thought among everyone around hm that the Wildcats invite was a “game changer.” Sallis wanted the big offer. My source that is the reason a lot of Big Ten schools did not get involved. They knew when the Blue Blood offer came they would be out. “He loves the bright lights and the big stage,” was what I was told. I was also told, “He just loved that (Kentucky) offer.”
2) A popular question here has been whether or not recruits are noticing the success that Kentucky players have had in the NBA Playoffs, and it if matters. Ones I have spoken to repeatedly tell me yes, and evidently Sallis is no different. I was told he sees Kentucky as the hot program, and that their guys are going to the NBA and doing well. He even said that he thinks North Carolina has more of the old school look.
3) The dad is saying not to count Creighton out, and the mother says she loves what they have to offer educationally. My guy said nobody locally believes he will go to Creighton. He also said the academic part was sort of silly to him because Hunter would be be a one-and-done.
The rumor was also confirmed which he has reported that Hunter’s father is the one who has pulled back the reigns on an immediate announcement. He has reportedly told his son that if he choses a blue blood he won’t be “the guy” but “a guy.” So he wants to make sure his son has thought this through.
Our source said the feeling around Omaha is that he is going to make his decision in the fall because “things have been “ratcheting up” in the past week. This makes total sense to me. I have found it intriguing that Kentucky has been getting projections while Hunter said he would do it in the spring. That leaves too much water under the bridge. The only way the picks can be made with any confidence is if he makes his decision sooner rather than later.
Travis has also recently said that Sallis may be recruited to Kentucky as a two and have made Shai Gilgeous-Alexander comparisons. Our guy in Omaha has heard the same thing no matter where he attends. He believes his decision making is not solid enough to be a full time point guard in pressure situations. If this holds true a Sallis commitment would take the pressure off Calipari to land Jaden Hardy to play shooting guard.
Bryce Hopkins
Travis Graf - Bryce Hopkins will possibly be the first target off of the board. As of now, I give Kentucky the slight advantage but it’s not the home run it once was. Illinois is right there and sources from within his AAU program said that Providence was getting some recent buzz as well. I don’t know how many people around him that would be thrilled if Providence was the choice, but they made some serious headway with some people in his camp. If he leaves the state of Illinois, the smart money is on Kentucky at this time. The next few days should be telling.
David Sisk - The past few days have been a total crapshoot in this recruitment. Tuesday night the Providence rumors started surfacing. Within twenty-four hours it changed to Illinois. We have heard that Hopkins loves Ed Cooley, but nobody or just about nobody in his inner circle wants him to go there. By Friday, Kentucky was getting the love among recruiting analysts.
I have been on the phone a lot about this one over the weekend, and I think it depends who you talk to. Some are saying Kentucky while the others are going with Illinois. But make no mistake, I think it is between those two.
Illinois loves the position they are in. They think they have done all of the work that needed to be done. Individuals I have spoken to there haven’t gone into great detail other that to say they like their position. They are also working on another Zoom call this week, and the best case scenario is that he might give them a silent commitment when it takes place. We were also told that Illinois now has the blessing of those close to him that might have wanted him to go elsewhere. They are also aware that John Calipari could lock him up in a heartbeat.
That brings in the Kentucky side. There are some reports out there that the coaching staff never cooled on him. Putting two and two together, I’m not buying it. Travis has gone in-depth about what he has heard in regards to Kentucky slowing things down. If Kentucky has rallied as many think, it makes total sense to me that they have picked up the pace the last few days. Many of us think that if they are completely all in then they will get him. Another individual I have spoken with in Chicago has heard Kentucky is the leader. So as I said, it depends who you talk too. For now I am undecided between the two.
Moussa Diabate
Travis Graf - Moussa Diabate has been in consistent contact with Kentucky according to his guardian, who hadn’t spoken with me in quite awhile. The fact that the line of communication opened back up could mean a good thing for the ‘Cats here or it could honestly mean nothing, depending on which tea leaves you choose to read. He made tit sound like Kentucky is in a good spot with a lot of other schools. I wouldn’t call them a leader just yet, but things seem like they’re going in a positive direction at this time. Rob Cassidy said that he would guess Kentucky would be the choice if he had to make a decision. A spring decision seems to be the timeline and I’m not expecting to see entirely too much movement or buzz at this time, but it’ll be something to monitor.
Skyy Clark
Travis Graf - Skyy Clark is announcing on October 22nd and I recently changed my pick back in favor of the ‘Cats. That pick comes with medium confidence on my end. The behind the scenes post will be a good one after the commitment to any program. Expect there to be some misdirection and possibly more twists and turns for the 2022 five-star before the decision. Sources close to the Kentucky program are confident, sources close to Clark are saying Kentucky and sources outside of the family who are close to the Clarks are saying Kentucky as well.
Daimion Collins
David Sisk - After speaking with Daimion last week, I wasn’t left with any clear cut indicators. He did not want to differentiate his finalists. He said they all made his list because each one is showing him that he is needed. But the educated guesses are that it is between Oklahoma and Kentucky. The Sooners’ advantages are that they have been the team to beat all along. He is a small town kid who has friends who have committed in this class to the program. Norman is also the closest in proximity to Atlanta, Texas of any of the schools.
Collins is another player who is taking note of what is going on in the NBA Playoffs. He said Kentucky is the program that could help him recognize his dream of getting to the league. His favorite player is Anthony Davis, and Calipari has been hammering him that he sees many similarities between the two at the same age. I fully believe the Kentucky offer is the only thing that has kept him from already joining the Oklahoma program.
Hunter Sallis
Travis Graf - I put in a pick for Hunter Sallis on Sunday afternoon after talking with David and with writers from other sites, plus another source. Kentucky has the momentum in the recruitment and sources close to the Kentucky program are confident as well. On the Kentucky side, they don’t believe that they’re the run away favorite, but they wouldn’t trade their spot with anyone else. The Kentucky sources say that they would use him the same way that they used Jamal Murray — an off-ball scorer and secondary facilitator.
David Sisk - Kentucky is getting a lot of buzz with Sallis, and from everything I heard this weekend where there
is smoke there is fire. An individual we speak with in Omaha has several sources who are around the five-star guard. His belief is that it is Kentucky first with Creighton and North Carolina fighting out behind them. He made it sound if they both might be a distant second. He had several reasons for thinking this.
1) Kentucky was the offer that he wanted more than any other along with Duke. The Blue Devils didn’t step up so that leaves the Wildcats alone. He says it it a common thought among everyone around hm that the Wildcats invite was a “game changer.” Sallis wanted the big offer. My source that is the reason a lot of Big Ten schools did not get involved. They knew when the Blue Blood offer came they would be out. “He loves the bright lights and the big stage,” was what I was told. I was also told, “He just loved that (Kentucky) offer.”
2) A popular question here has been whether or not recruits are noticing the success that Kentucky players have had in the NBA Playoffs, and it if matters. Ones I have spoken to repeatedly tell me yes, and evidently Sallis is no different. I was told he sees Kentucky as the hot program, and that their guys are going to the NBA and doing well. He even said that he thinks North Carolina has more of the old school look.
3) The dad is saying not to count Creighton out, and the mother says she loves what they have to offer educationally. My guy said nobody locally believes he will go to Creighton. He also said the academic part was sort of silly to him because Hunter would be be a one-and-done.
The rumor was also confirmed which he has reported that Hunter’s father is the one who has pulled back the reigns on an immediate announcement. He has reportedly told his son that if he choses a blue blood he won’t be “the guy” but “a guy.” So he wants to make sure his son has thought this through.
Our source said the feeling around Omaha is that he is going to make his decision in the fall because “things have been “ratcheting up” in the past week. This makes total sense to me. I have found it intriguing that Kentucky has been getting projections while Hunter said he would do it in the spring. That leaves too much water under the bridge. The only way the picks can be made with any confidence is if he makes his decision sooner rather than later.
Travis has also recently said that Sallis may be recruited to Kentucky as a two and have made Shai Gilgeous-Alexander comparisons. Our guy in Omaha has heard the same thing no matter where he attends. He believes his decision making is not solid enough to be a full time point guard in pressure situations. If this holds true a Sallis commitment would take the pressure off Calipari to land Jaden Hardy to play shooting guard.
Bryce Hopkins
Travis Graf - Bryce Hopkins will possibly be the first target off of the board. As of now, I give Kentucky the slight advantage but it’s not the home run it once was. Illinois is right there and sources from within his AAU program said that Providence was getting some recent buzz as well. I don’t know how many people around him that would be thrilled if Providence was the choice, but they made some serious headway with some people in his camp. If he leaves the state of Illinois, the smart money is on Kentucky at this time. The next few days should be telling.
David Sisk - The past few days have been a total crapshoot in this recruitment. Tuesday night the Providence rumors started surfacing. Within twenty-four hours it changed to Illinois. We have heard that Hopkins loves Ed Cooley, but nobody or just about nobody in his inner circle wants him to go there. By Friday, Kentucky was getting the love among recruiting analysts.
I have been on the phone a lot about this one over the weekend, and I think it depends who you talk to. Some are saying Kentucky while the others are going with Illinois. But make no mistake, I think it is between those two.
Illinois loves the position they are in. They think they have done all of the work that needed to be done. Individuals I have spoken to there haven’t gone into great detail other that to say they like their position. They are also working on another Zoom call this week, and the best case scenario is that he might give them a silent commitment when it takes place. We were also told that Illinois now has the blessing of those close to him that might have wanted him to go elsewhere. They are also aware that John Calipari could lock him up in a heartbeat.
That brings in the Kentucky side. There are some reports out there that the coaching staff never cooled on him. Putting two and two together, I’m not buying it. Travis has gone in-depth about what he has heard in regards to Kentucky slowing things down. If Kentucky has rallied as many think, it makes total sense to me that they have picked up the pace the last few days. Many of us think that if they are completely all in then they will get him. Another individual I have spoken with in Chicago has heard Kentucky is the leader. So as I said, it depends who you talk too. For now I am undecided between the two.
Moussa Diabate
Travis Graf - Moussa Diabate has been in consistent contact with Kentucky according to his guardian, who hadn’t spoken with me in quite awhile. The fact that the line of communication opened back up could mean a good thing for the ‘Cats here or it could honestly mean nothing, depending on which tea leaves you choose to read. He made tit sound like Kentucky is in a good spot with a lot of other schools. I wouldn’t call them a leader just yet, but things seem like they’re going in a positive direction at this time. Rob Cassidy said that he would guess Kentucky would be the choice if he had to make a decision. A spring decision seems to be the timeline and I’m not expecting to see entirely too much movement or buzz at this time, but it’ll be something to monitor.
Skyy Clark
Travis Graf - Skyy Clark is announcing on October 22nd and I recently changed my pick back in favor of the ‘Cats. That pick comes with medium confidence on my end. The behind the scenes post will be a good one after the commitment to any program. Expect there to be some misdirection and possibly more twists and turns for the 2022 five-star before the decision. Sources close to the Kentucky program are confident, sources close to Clark are saying Kentucky and sources outside of the family who are close to the Clarks are saying Kentucky as well.
Daimion Collins
David Sisk - After speaking with Daimion last week, I wasn’t left with any clear cut indicators. He did not want to differentiate his finalists. He said they all made his list because each one is showing him that he is needed. But the educated guesses are that it is between Oklahoma and Kentucky. The Sooners’ advantages are that they have been the team to beat all along. He is a small town kid who has friends who have committed in this class to the program. Norman is also the closest in proximity to Atlanta, Texas of any of the schools.
Collins is another player who is taking note of what is going on in the NBA Playoffs. He said Kentucky is the program that could help him recognize his dream of getting to the league. His favorite player is Anthony Davis, and Calipari has been hammering him that he sees many similarities between the two at the same age. I fully believe the Kentucky offer is the only thing that has kept him from already joining the Oklahoma program.
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