Top recruits make predictions on uncommitted prospects

The McDonald’s All-American game was last night, and on top of Kentucky Wildcats commits Tyrese Maxey and Kahlil Whitney playing, we got to see what Kentucky’s two, top uncommitted prospects in Matthew Hurt and Jaden McDaniels looked like on the court.

Kentucky currently has one of the best classes in the nation with Maxey, Whitney, Keion Brooks and Dontaie Allen, which alone will have Kentucky finishing around the 2-5 range in the final class rankings.

But John Calipari rarely settles for just four players in one class, and that’s even more true with a current recruiting haul that does not have a true big man. The good news is getting a guy like Hurt or McDaniels would be a tremendous boost to this class while also aiding the need for more frontcourt depth next season.

However, the recent buzz with both players has been them going somewhere other than Kentucky, and their peers agree.

In a survey with Rivals.com, the McDonald’s All-American rosters made predictions on where some of the uncommitted players will end up. None of them predicted Kentucky, and Hurt actually picked McDaniels to land with the Washington Huskies, while McDaniels picked the Duke Blue Devils as Hurt’s ultimate destination.

Here is what some of them had to say on Matthew Hurt:

The pick: Duke

Why: “I feel like he might go to Duke. I feel like that’s a good fit for him with his size and his shooting ability. He can do everything.” -- Jaden McDaniels

The pick: Duke

Why: “They want two bigs and they didn’t get me, so there’s a spot open for him. Him and Vernon Carey can play well together. I feel like guys like him fit well in Coach K’s system.” -- Isaiah Stewart

The pick: Duke

Why: “I think because he fits the picture. He can play outside, he’s versatile, I feel like Coach K likes him a lot. On the adidas circuit, I saw Coach K come to a lot of his games and I think that’s the best fit for him.” -- Isaiah Mobley

The pick: North Carolina

Why: “It’s a done deal.” -- Bacot

And here are some of the thoughts on Jaden McDaniels:

The pick: Washington

Why: “It’s either them or San Diego State.” -- Williamson

The pick: Washington

Why: “I think he and Isaiah Stewart will be really good in the Pac-12 next year.” -- Hurt

The pick: Washington

Why: “I say Washington because it’s his hometown, he gets a lot of love there. Isaiah Stewart is already there and if he joins their recruiting class will shoot up the charts.” -- Mobley

As you can see, nobody seems to think that either Hurt or McDaniels end up at Kentucky next year. But as we have learned, never count out Coach Cal. Heck, this time last year, we were only beginning to hear about Kentucky being a real threat for Ashton Hagans and EJ Montgomery, not to mention the major steal Kentucky pulled off by getting Kevin Knox late in the 2017 class.

You can read what the players thought of the rest of the un-committed 2019 players here.