John Caliper’s track record with elite point guards is well known.
Whether you talk about the stars like Derrick Rose, John Wall and De’Aaron Fox or the ones he turned into stars, like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Calipari has a way with his floor generals. The Wildcats seem set at the position for the next few years, but it’s never too early to start recruiting top talent to Lexington.
Jaden Bradley, a top freshman point guard in the Class of 2022, will be taking an unofficial visit to Kentucky this weekend for the annual Blue-White scrimmage. This comes after assistant coach Joel Justus visited him in North Carolina, Bradley told Ben Roberts of the Lexington Herald-Leader.
At 6-3, Bradley is already gifted at the point guard position, as he averaged 23 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists during his first year at Cannon School.
“He’s a pass-first point guard. A lot of the point guards, you go under the screen, they’re trying to raise up and shoot that three. He’ll re-screen, get downhill, work a better shot, get into his pull-up game. I think he’s really good in the transition, open court. He passes the ball, sees the floor so well,” said Bradley’s father regarding his son’s skill set.
Top recruiting analysts are already taking notice of him as well. Bradley is the #7 player nationally at both Rivals and 247Sports, while also being tabbed as the top point guard in the class by 247.
It may be some time down the line, but this could be the start of something between Jaden and the Wildcats this early on. Jaden’s high school coach, who will be in attendance with Bradley and his father as well, has liked UK’s approach thus far.
“Kentucky is Kentucky. They recruit the elite of the elite. I’ll commend Coach Justus a lot on building the relationship. They’re really invested in people, the kid, the family, and the coaches. They just do it the right way,” said Cannon School head coach Che’ Roth.
It would still be some time before Jaden would make a decision or be on the floor playing college basketball, but this is John Calipari planting seeds early. If players know what he and Kentucky are all about early on, watch the Wildcat’s success, and realize they can play at that level, Calipari will have placed himself firmly in the discussion once their decision day does arrive.
Follow our Twitter page and then go ‘like’ our Facebook page for the latest Kentucky Wildcats news and views.