Kentucky lands 7-foot center Ugonna Kingsley
On Monday afternoon, John Calipari put the finishing touches on Kentucky’s 2022 recruiting class with the last-minute addition of 2023 reclassified big man Ugonna Kingsley.
Kingsley chose Kentucky over Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Rivals’ Travis Graf breaks down exactly what this four-star’s late addition means for the ‘Cats..
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WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE WILDCATS
Kingsley fits the player archetype mold of a lot of the big men throughout the John Calipari era at Kentucky – a long, defensive-minded athlete that excels at rim protection and running the floor.
A true 7-foot prospect with elite reach and jumping ability, he’ll have an impact as soon as Calipari wants to put him on the floor. Whether that’s this year or next year remains to be seen, but it will be very beneficial for Kingsley to go up against returning National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe on a daily basis.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR KENTUCKY
With this addition, it puts a bow on Kentucky’s 2022 recruiting class. The plan is for Kingsley to get to Lexington as soon as possible, but there’s also been some talk of a redshirt for this upcoming season to prepare him for next season. If that’s the case, he will practically be a seasoned 2023 recruit in the grand scheme of things, and you’d add him to the terrific perimeter trio of Robert Dillingham, Reed Sheppard and Justin Edwards.
Looking ahead, Kentucky will look to potentially round out the class with DJ Wagner, Aaron Bradshaw and Ron Holland.