Immanuel Quickley congratulates R.J. Barrett, whose dad endorses John Calipari

R.J. Barrett has been a member of the 2018 class for only a few hours, but the Kentucky Wildcats are already getting positive vibes for the elite wing.

In an interview with Ben Roberts of the Lexington Herald-Leader, Barrett’s father talked about his son’s recruitment, as well as Kentucky head coach John Calipari, who clearly has a positive outlook in the Barrett family.

“There are a lot of positives. I love the fact that he fights for his guys,” said the elder Barrett of Calipari. “And it really seems to be a priority to him that they do well in their lives, not just them being athletes, but it seems like he really cares about the whole individual, even after they leave Kentucky’s walls.

“So, yeah, I think he’s great.”

Be sure to read the full Herald-Leader interview here, which also goes into detail about what Barrett brings to the table, as well as his plans for visits.

It’s no secret that UK is viewed as one of the favorites for Barrett, who is now challenging No. 1 status in the 2018 class.

However, Kentucky is also in the running for several elite forwards in this class, including Cameron Reddish and Zion Williamson. That will make it intriguing to see how Calipari sells all three on playing together, but it also sounds like Calipari has UK in a great spot for Barrett.

Zion is more of a true 3 that is more likely to spend time at the 4 than the 2, whereas Barrett is more likely to play the 3 and 2, so both could work together in college.

There’s still no timetable on when Barrett will likely visit UK among other schools, but it should come time in the fall. It’s also unclear if Barrett will commit to a school in the fall or spring, but you can bet Kentucky will be in it until the end.

Oh, and Immanuel Quickley, the likeliest commit for UK in 2018, has already congratulated Barrett on joining his class:

Quickley has been heavily recruiting Zion to be a package deal in 2018, which would almost certainly be in Lexington if it happens.

A class with Zion, Quickley and Barrett is a lock for No. 1 status, and it could propel Kentucky to be championship favorite for the ensuing college hoops season.

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