Several Kentucky targets named to USA U19 team

Now that Team USA is wrapping up their U-19 selection camp, the final roster has been set.

There are five current college players on the roster (none from UK), one player in the 2019 recruiting class, and five players from the 2020 class. Of those five 2020 recruits, three of them are major targets for the Kentucky Wildcats.

All three of those players are top-five recruits, and John Calipari has been in hot pursuit of all of them. Potentially the biggest fish on the team is Jalen Green, the No. 2 recruit in the 2020 class according to the 247 Sports composite rankings. He is joined on the team by Cade Cunningham and Scottie Barnes, who are No. 3 and No. 5, respectively.

Kentucky is in the running for Barnes and Green, while Cunningham now seems very likely to land at Oklahoma State. Playing for Team USA will be a great opportunity for these guys, even though Barnes and Green have represented their country and brought home gold medals before.

The U-19 squad will be coached by the head coach of the Kansas State Wildcats, Bruce Weber. He is joined by Washington’s Mike Hopkins and North Carolina Central’s LeVelle Moton.

The team will begin competition in less than two weeks. They begin group play against New Zealand on June 29th, then take on Lithuania on June 30th, and finish group play against Senegal on July 2nd.

I am not sure Calipari will make it to watch these games in person, considering the fact that they take place in Greece. But it is safe to assume he will keep in touch with the players and their families about their experience with Team USA this summer.