Jalen Green discusses recruitment and where UK stands

The Kentucky Wildcats coaching staff has their hands all over the 2020 basketball recruiting class. And their push for the top players has not gone unnoticed.

Jalen Green — the No. 2 overall player in 2020 class — is a 6-5 shooting guard from Fresno, California. He recently spoke with Ben Roberts of the Herald-Leader to discuss his recruitment, which Kentucky is heavily involved in.

“Coach Cal just came in and did a little visit with me at Prolific (Prep) not too long ago. So, I think he’s pretty involved now — a lot,” Green said. “He came to my first game and (Joel) Justus was at the second game. So, yeah, I think he’s pretty involved now.”

After becoming one of the first players in the class of 2020 to receive a scholarship offer from Kentucky and averaging 30.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game, Green transferred to national powerhouse Prolific Prep (CA).

Green made the move so he’d be able to focus solely on basketball and academics, while avoiding unnecessary distractions. That sounds like someone who would fit right in at Kentucky.

Some people had speculated that Green would ultimately skip his senior year of high school and make his way onto a college campus next fall. However, that isn’t the case. He said he’s now “100 percent” staying in 2020.

The reason, though, isn’t what most people think. Green just turned 17 years old in February, which means if he were to reclassify, he’d have to play two seasons in college due to the NBA’s age-limit of 19 years old to enter the draft.

As for who might be the current leader in his recruitment, Green didn’t budge. And he seems to be tired of hearing every coach give the exact same pitch. Well, that is everyone but John Calipari, who Green says keeps it “100,” which is something the five-star guard admires.

However, recruiting analysts seem to think otherwise as the Memphis Tigers currently hold 80% of his crystal ball predictions, including those of Jerry Meyer and Andrew Slater.

But Green declined to reciprocate the growing consensus.

“People just talk,” Green said. “That was probably my first visit, so that’s probably why they’re thinking I’m focused on going there so much.”

Green did in fact visit the Tigers last fall, but it doesn’t appear he’s ready to make a decision yet. That’s good news for the coaches who always “keep it 100.”

In the meantime, check out some recent highlights of Green in action:

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