When it comes to Kentucky basketball recruiting, much of the discussion lately has been around who will make up the Cats’ backcourt in the 2021 class.
For a while, it looked like Skyy Clark and Jaden Hardy could ultimately be part of the class. However, Hardy is trending elsewhere, likely due to his strong interest in the G-League, while North Carolina is gaining steam with Clark, who is still in the 2022 class but may eventually reclassify.
Part of why Clark is trending away is Kentucky’s pursuit of Hunter Sallis, one of the best overall recruits in 2021. If he picks the Wildcats, Sallis could very well be Kentucky’s starting point guard in 2021-22, which could lead to Clark landing somewhere in more dire need of a starting point guard. North Carolina would fit the bill if incoming freshman Caleb Love is a one and done, and the buzz has been building lately that he will be a pro next year.
But is Kentucky in good enough shape with Sallis to go all-in with him and risk missing on him and Clark? One recruiting expert seems to think so.
In his Thursday mailbag, Rivals’ Corey Evans said he believes Sallis could commit soon with Kentucky looking like the favorite for his services.
“Once he (Sallis) received a Kentucky offer last month, things began to speed up and while Kansas and North Carolina were the favorites beforehand, UK should now be thought of as a potential leader,” Evans wrote. “Does Sallis beat others like Skyy Clark and/or Jaden Hardy to the punch, or does he wait to see what either of the two does before making his commitment?
“My guess is that he is the first to decide and he picks Kentucky, which will give UK Sallis, Nolan Hickman and potentially Devin Askew in the backcourt next season.”
Sallis, a 6-5, 175-pound guard who plays at Millard North High School in Nebraska, is ranked sixth overall by 247 Sports. He is listed as a combo guard by 247 Sports, while Rivals and ESPN have him as a point guard.
The Wildcats already have a commitment from 2021 point guard Nolan Hickman, but they’re still pursuing Sallis and Clark, Either one of them could form a heck of a backcourt in 2021-22, especially if Devin Askew is back for a sophomore season.
While Hickman is viewed as more of a multi-year player, Sallis is a strong one-and-done candidate, and Askew is also probably in the pros before his junior season, so Hickman could be running the show by himself in 2022-23.
The early signing period is two months away, and it looks like Sallis and Clark could both have decisions in time for it. How soon that is remains to be seen, but it sounds like there’s a good chance Kentucky gets one of them.
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