Tuesday Headlines: Frontcourt Recruiting Struggles Edition

Adem Bona is the latest Kentucky recruiting miss among frontcourt targets

By Zac Oakes@ZacOakes Nov 2, 2021, 6:40am EDT

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Kentucky missing on Adem Bona is the latest in what has become a troubling trend for Kentucky on the recruiting trail.

Bona, a top 20 prospect in the Class of 2022, chose UCLA over Kentucky yesterday after long being viewed as a heavy Kentucky lean. When Kentucky missed on Dereck Lively earlier this year, Bona was viewed as a prospect who would make up for it.

Now, as Kentucky has missed on both and with seemingly no other frontcourt targets in the class, Kentucky will have to hope for a returner from this year’s team or find someone in the transfer portal.

With the expansion of the portal and John Calipari’s success in bringing in talented transfers, it probably isn't too much of an issue, but over recent years, Kentucky has faced challenges in recruiting the top frontcourt targets in the country.

Here are just a few off the top of my head over the last few years:

Zion Williamson, Mohamed Bamba, James Wiseman, Isaiah Stewart, Vernon Carey, N’Faly Dante, Matthew Hurt, Jaden McDaniels, Greg Brown, Isaiah Todd, Jalen Duren, Paolo Banchero, and now Lively and Bona.

Kentucky has helped make up for those losses in the transfer portal or landing other recruits, but those are all players the Kentucky staff placed a high emphasis on landing who turned Kentucky down.

I’m not sure what the issue with recruiting the top big men in the country is, but while Kentucky has rejuvenated its recruiting efforts in the Class of 2022 and beyond, let’s hope recruiting in the frontcourt picks up soon too.

For multiple years in the John Calipari era, Kentucky landed several top frontcourt prospects. It’s time for Kentucky to get back to that.