Under Armour and Nike are two major players in the high school basketball recruiting scene and each company is gearing up for major All-Star games to be held this weekend, with several Kentucky targets competing in each.
The Under Armour Elite 24 game is entering its 11th year of collecting some of the top prep talents across the country for a weekend showcase that also includes a three-point contest as well as a dunk contest.
The rosters for the Elite 24 game were recently announced and include multiple Kentucky targets. The most notable UK targets that will compete in Brooklyn include Kevin Knox and Nick Richards (Team Clutch) and Hamidou Diallo (Team Drive).
Richards is currently a heavy Kentucky lean, with all nine predictions from 247Sports trending toward the Wildcats. Richards recently named a top five of Kentucky, Syracuse, Indiana, Arizona, and Connecticut.
Diallo is also a Kentucky lean, but Kevin Ollie and the Connecticut Huskies have been on Diallo’s trail for quite some time, and it seems that the two programs will battle it out for one of the top shooting guards in the country.
Knox, on the other hand, is seen as a Duke lean at this stage in his recruitment. However, Knox listed Kentucky on his final 10 list in mid-July. Right now, it seems like it’s a two-horse race with Duke and Florida State (his father’s alma mater) but being this early in the recruiting process, Kentucky could make a push for Knox if they choose to.
Other UK targets in the game include Javonte Smart (2018), Zion Williamson (2018), Billy Preston (2017), Devon Dotson (2018), Gerald Liddell (2018), and Naz Reid (2018).
The full roster for the Elite 24 Game can be found here.
The Nike Elite Youth Basketball Camp will be held in the Bahamas this year, and will also include several UK targets.
As of now, it is looking like that game will include the likes of Quade Green, P.J. Washington, Lonnie Walker, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Wendell Carter Jr. Other possibilities include Mohamed Bamba, Gary Trent Jr., and Trae Young.
Vanderbilt and Young are viewed as Kentucky leans from 247Sports, but Kentucky is right in the mix for each of these players.