Kentucky pursuing big-time transfer Baylor Scheierman

This coming Sunday is the NCAA deadline to enter the transfer portal and be automatically eligible for next season. That means we should know by Sunday who all the big-name players entering the portal will be for this year.

On Monday, one of the biggest names to hit the portal this cycle was revealed in South Dakota State Jackrabbits guard Baylor Scheierman.

Now, Kyle Tucker of The Athletic reports that Kentucky is already pursuing Scheierman, and the interest is mutual, according to his agent.

“That moved real quick,” agent Austin Walton said of Kentucky’s interest. “We have a high level of interest and I think the interest is mutual. The exposure of Kentucky basketball and the tradition there is something that appeals to Baylor. Their history of development and draft picks is something that’s very enticing for Baylor. It’s a lot of what we’re looking for.”

Walton, who happens to be a big Kentucky fan, added that the Duke blue Devils, Kansas Jayhawks and UCLA Bruins are among the other programs who’ve reached out, so this is clearly going to be a huge battle for arguably the best transfer available.

The Summit League player of the year this past season, Scheierman averaged 16.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and shot 50.8% from the field and 47% from behind the arc. The Nebraska native will be a junior this coming season.

Scheierman has also entered the NBA Draft while maintaining his collegiate eligibility, so a final decision from him may not come until around the June 1st deadline to withdraw from the draft.

News of Kentucky’s interest in the 6-foot-6 Scheierman may explain the holdup with Illinois State transfer (and ironically also a 6-foot-6 guard) Antonio Reeves.

This past weekend there was a lot of buzz that Reeves had committed to Kentucky with an announcement imminent. Even Tom Leach wrote on Twitter that Kentucky was set to land basketball commitment Saturday.

However, no public announcement was ever made, so you have to wonder if something happened that caused him to delay said announcement.

Perhaps Kentucky learned that Scheierman was about to hit the portal. While I would imagine Kentucky still wants Reeves, there’s no doubt Scheierman is a bigger fish, and one that could make Reeves want to look elsewhere for his next home.

Or, maybe Reeves is just waiting to make sure Kentucky doesn’t get Shaedon Sharpe back by some miracle.

Either way, it’s pretty clear Scheierman just shot up to or near the top of Kentucky’s recruiting big board for the 2022-23 season.

Be sure to read Kyle Tucker’s complete article at The Athletic, which includes a timeline for when Scheierman plans to cut his list down by.

And check out some highlights of the newest Kentucky recruiting target in action.

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