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Kentucky misses out on Ahmad Nowell and Jalil Bethea

Bethea previously said that seeing John Calipari was “like seeing God.”

John Calipari Drew Brown - A Sea Of Blue

As recruiting in the class of 2024 heats up, two potential backcourt options just went off the board for the Kentucky Wildcats.

The big news to come out of Sunday was four-star guard Ahmad Nowell announcing his commitment to UConn.

Nowell picked the Huskies over fellow finalists Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia Tech.

Nowell is ranked 35th overall in the 2024 class via 247 Sports, 30th at ESPN, 38th via Rivals, and 57th at On3. He was a high school teammate with Justin Edwards at Imhotep Institute in Philadelphia.

Elsewhere, Kentucky is no longer in the running for five-star guard Jalil Bethea, who announced a top five consisting of Miami, Villanova, Kansas, Maryland, and Syracuse. He’s ranked as high as ninth overall in 2024 via ESPN. On3 (14th), 247 Sports (18th), and Rivals (15th) also have him in the top 25.

Unlike Nowell, Bethea did not hold an official scholarship offer from Kentucky, but there was clear interest from both sides. At one point this summer, Bethea said that seeing John Calipari was “like seeing God or something. You only see him on TV, for real.”

Alas, Bethea and Nowell are off the board, leaving Kentucky to focus on other backcourt options.