Not long after Quade Green committed to the Kentucky Wildcats, he made it clear UK’s recruiting efforts in 2017 are far from over.
Green gives UK the elite point guard recruit they desperately needed for this class, but he also gives them an added recruiter for one Mohamed Bamba. The five-star big man has played with Green on the AAU circuit with the PSA Cardinals, and it's very possible they play together again in college.
Quade Green says "it's my time now to recruit him" about PSA Cardinals teammate Mo Bamba in hopes to get him to Lexington as well. #BBN
— Dennis Chambers (@DennisChambers_) November 20, 2016
But Bamba isn't the only big-time player that Green is recruiting to UK. He also wants to play with a pair of elite wings in Kevin Knox and Hamidou Diallo.
Green also says with a smirk he hopes to get Hamidou Diallo and Kevin Knox with him to Kentucky.
— Dennis Chambers (@DennisChambers_) November 20, 2016
Knox, a five-star forward out of Tampa, is ranked as the No. 7 prospect in 2017 by ESPN and No. 9 by Rivals.com. The 6-8, 210 pound Knox visited for Big Blue Madness unofficially, and he'll officially visit for the Wildcats’ big matchup with Kansas in January. Duke is the favorite in this recruitment, but UK is making a strong push for his pledge later in the spring. The 247 Crystal Ball has Duke as the favorite with the last two predictions in favor of the Cats.
As for Diallo, a five-star guard out of New York, he is also strongly considering UK for his college destination. The 6-5, 195-pound Diallo is actually viewed as a UK lean...if he does play college ball. Problem is, going pro is also something he's considering. The 247 Crystal Ball still has UK as the favorite, but that lead has shrunk over the fall.
With Green now in the fold, UK has their point guard of the future, so it should be easier to sell Bamba, Diallo and Knox on coming to Lexington. That shouldn't come as a surprise if you ask Green's high school coach, Carl Arrigale.
"He’s a guy that other guys gravitate to," Arrigale told the Herald-Leader. "I remember talking to Cal when he came for a meeting at the school. He said, ‘Guys want to play with him.’ And that didn’t surprise me. He’s got that type of way about him. You know he’s going to be a guy who’s out there fighting for you and trying to lead you the best he can."
Bamba is the man UK really wants, and frankly needs for their 2017 class to be good enough to keep UK in Final Four contention next year. With so many players expected to leave for the NBA Draft or graduation, adding elite, top-five talent like Bamba is critical, and even he admitted earlier this year that playing with Green in college is something he would like.
"It means everything. It means the world," Bamba said. "To play with a good point guard, it takes your game to a whole new level. ... He's great. He's so smooth and poised. You don't see that at this age."