Dereck Lively recaps Kentucky visit and what’s next

Dereck Lively wrapped up his official visit to Kentucky last week, with the 7-foot-1 big man finally receiving his scholarship offer from John Calipari.

Lively was waiting for the offer to officially unveil his top-7 schools, consisting of the Kentucky Wildcats, Duke, North Carolina, Michigan, USC, Florida State, and Penn State.

Lively spoke with Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog about his trip to Lexington:

“Kentucky was a great visit,” Lively said. “Their message is really, only pros come here. So if you come here, you’re going to be developed into a pro and you’re going to be living a lifestyle as a pro. Coach Calipari is really going to take me under his wing and just mold me into the player that just blossoms into the NBA.”

Lively says that he plans to visit all of his schools on his list before he makes a decision, and that when the time comes, he doesn’t want to rush a decision.

Lively also noted that financial reasons won’t be a deciding factor in what school he chooses to go.

“The money is not really something I’m going to be making my decision off of because my goal is to get to the league for a one-and-done.”

Currently, Lively’s AAU teammate, Jalen Duren, is on campus in Lexington for his official visit. This comes after the news broke of Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway reportedly interviewing and impressing for the open Orlando Magic job. Memphis is seen as a prime contender for Duren.

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