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The Kentucky Wildcats have announced the signings of five players in the 2016 recruiting class and one late addition that goes in the 2015 class.
Please welcome our newest class by giving them a follow on Twitter: @Bloading0 @AhmadMonk @Swipathefox5 @The_SKJ @WenyenGabriel @WynyardTai
— Kentucky Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) November 19, 2015
For 2016, five-star point guard De'Aaron Fox, five-star shooting guard Malik Monk, five-star wing Wenyen Gabriel, five-star forward Bam Adebayo and five-star forward Sacha Killeya-Jones are now signed with Kentucky. Those five will form what will likely finish as the top-ranked recruiting class in every major recruiting service for 2016.
Four-star forward Tai Wynyard is also signed and set to join UK in December as an early enrollee. He's now part of a class that finished first or second in every major service.
With so much good news, here is what head coach John Calipari had to say about the signings:
"One of the things I loved about this group is they all want to play together," Calipari said of the class. "This recruiting wasn't just coming from me and my staff; this whole group wanted to play together and wants to be one of the best groups ever. To make this work, they've got to like each other and want to play together, and this group already has that.
"Part of that is they're great kids, both on and off the court. They're terrific students and get it done in the classroom. They're high-character kids. They understand that what they do off the court is just as important as what they do on the court.
"Every player in this class is different," Calipari said. "They all have their own strengths. They all bring something to the table. They're all different and they're all concerned with being the best version of themselves. Each kid made a decision based on their goals and dreams and what's best for them personally. As we bring this all together, I'm excited."
Calipari on Edrice "Bam" Adebayo:
"Of all the players I saw in the summer, no one had a combination of a dominating spirit and a physical presence like Bam," Calipari said. "He has a skill level of a player that is normally four inches smaller than him. Aside from his rebounding ability, he plays positionless basketball, just like our other kids. Bam is going to be a big-time player for us.
Calipari on De'Aaron Fox:
"De'Aaron Fox has speed, he has scoring ability, he can really pass and he can guard the ball," Calipari said. "But those are things that can be said about different players. The intangible that I really loved is that every player wants to play with him. This whole class wants him to be the guard on the team. When I found out how much they loved him, I nicknamed him ‘the General' because they all want to play for him."
Calipari on Wenyen Gabriel
"When I saw Wenyen, I knew he had grown from 6-3 to 6-9," Calipari said. "I see him as a 6-10 guard in the sense that, if we're playing three guards, he's one of them. He can really shoot it, he's got a great shot and he's a shot blocker defensively. He's an energy guy who can guard multiple positions and is getting better by the day. Wenyen fits in perfectly with this class."
Calipari on Sacha Killeya-Jones:
"When we learned about Sacha and were contacted about him having an interest in us, I asked him why Kentucky," Calipari said. "His answer was, ‘Because you've coached players like me who have had growth spurts and all of those players have done well for you.' You're talking about a skilled player who can block shots. He can play multiple positions and fits in with the mold of kids we have, which are great kids, great students and great teammates."
Calipari on Malik Monk:
"Malik is a scoring point guard who can play both positions," Calipari said. "Malik has Derrick Rose explosiveness. Think about that for a second. He's as good of a scorer, as good of a shooter and as good of a shot creator as I've seen in a while. With his quickness and speed, he should be a great defender - a great defender."
Calipari on Tai Wynyard:
"With Tai, you're talking about a 6-9 physical athlete who is not afraid to get physical," Calipari said. "He has good skills. The most exciting part is what he's done with his country's national team. Everybody that's watched him recently has said, ‘Man has he gotten better. He's competing at a high level.' They've never seen him as physically fit. Tai is totally different than any player we have."