Dereck Lively sets decision date for Monday

UPDATE

One of the top basketball recruiting insiders just logged a prediction in favor of the Duke Blue Devils to land Dereck Lively II.

A decision date has been set for one of the Kentucky Wildcats’ top prospects in the Class of 2022.

Dereck Lively II will be making an announcement about his next step on Sept. 20, which is next Monday.

The Class of 2022 is loaded with some serious firepower at multiple positions, but Lively’s potential as a player is in a league of its own.

247 Sports currently ranks Lively as their No. 2 player in the Class of 2022, as well as the No. 1 center. He plays at Westtown School in Pennsylvania.

At over 7-feet tall, Lively can effortlessly swat shots and finish around the rim. However, it’s his developing skills on the perimeter that could catapult his basketball career into something special.

Lively has the ability to step outside and knock down a three while also understanding his preferred role of controlling the paint, especially at the high school level.

Now for the important stuff — where does Kentucky stand?

By all indications, John Calipari and the University of Kentucky are positioned very well with the 5-star center, especially based on this latest update from Kyle Tucker, which came moments before Lively announced his decision date.

The Duke Blue Devils have been seen as Kentucky’s biggest competition. He officially visited both schools in June.

Kentucky Sports Radio’s Jack Pilgrim was one of the very media members to get inside the Peach Jam back in July and has done nothing but rave about the 7-footer’s unicorn-like ability.

In my conversation with Jack and others, it quickly becomes apparent that landing Dereck Lively would be a complete game-changer and monumental win for Calipari, as his class already has 5-stars Shaedon Sharpe, Skyy Clark and Chris Livingston.

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