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CJ Fredrick put his name in the transfer portal a few days ago and has already heard from a slew of schools.
Kentucky reached out, which was to no surprise, has the rumor has been that Fredrick is Lexington bound. But, that doesn’t mean that Fredrick won’t field calls from other schools, because this is a process.
According to Jon Rothstein, Fredrick has also heard from the North Carolina Tar Heels, Gonzaga Bulldogs, Virginia Cavaliers, and his hometown schools of Xavier and Cincinnati.
Iowa transfer CJ Fredrick also tells me that he's receiving interest from North Carolina. https://t.co/wSCQX2JTwH
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 21, 2021
Seeing that kind of list shows how coveted Fredrick is and why he’d be a big addition for Kentucky and pretty much any college hoops program.
I would still say that Fredrick is very likely to end up in Lexington, barring any drastic last minute changes of heart, or players returning, or any surprise commitments.
Matthew Bain of the Des Moines Register seems to agree. In a recent recruiting roundup, Bain wrote that, “all signs point to Fredrick playing for Calipari next year at Rupp Arena, where Fredrick won that Kentucky state title three years ago.”
Getting Fredrick is an important part of Calipari’s new vision of basketball, as he seems to understand that he needed to adapt and evolve to a new style after last season’s disaster of a season. Fredrick is vital to that.
There’s no timetable of when Fredrick will make his decision, but Kentucky will almost certainly be a top contender when that time comes.
Saying this, you do have to wonder if Kentucky’s coaching staff shakeup won’t affect Calipari’s big board. With Orlando Antigua and another new assistant on the way, it could open up more doors with other possible targets in the transfer portal or high school ranks.
In other words, Kentucky looks to be in good shape with Fredrick, but don’t assume it’s a done deal.
In the meantime, check out this new CJ Fredrick highlight package, courtesy of Kentucky Hoops.
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