Kentucky Basketball Recruiting: Ashton Hagans inching closer to reclassification

Ashton Hagans is working to get on UK’s campus ASAP.

To this point, Hagans has been widely expected to reclassify and be on UK’s roster for next season. However, the UK pledge has consistently tempered those expectations, saying some version of ‘I’m 50-50’ on whether he’ll move into 2018 or stay in 2019.

That is, until Hagans and his father confirmed to SEC Country that he’ll be in the 2018 class. It’s not been easy getting all of the required coursework in to make the jump, but Hagans is doing his best to get to UK in time for the Bahamas trip in August.

“It’s been a lot. It’s crazy. I work on it after school, before school,” he said. On days Hagans feels overwhelmed, he thinks of Kentucky’s trip to the Bahamas to play four exhibition games in August. “I’m trying to get there.”

Hagans is currently ranked seventh in the 247 Sports rankings of 2019, but he’s expected to move into the Class of 2018 and be on UK’s roster next season. Even so, 247 recruiting guru Jerry Meyer has previously said he would still have Hagans ranked in the top 10 in 2018.

With a sophomore Quade Green in place, Hagans won’t need to be thrown right into the fire as a starting point guard, but he certainly has the potential to win that spot by season’s end.

And even if he doesn’t, Hagans should be one of the 2-3 starting guards John Calipari uses this season. He’ll greatly help UK overcome the losses of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Hamidou Diallo from the backcourt this offseason.

Be sure to read Kyle Tucker’s full piece, which includes how Hagans has been working with fellow UK commit EJ Montgomery this spring.

Here are some new highlights of Hagans playing on the spring AAU circuit:

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