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It took a few more days than expected for 6-9, 190-pound Jordan Burks to make his college decision but he did what Kentucky basketball needed Monday when he announced he would play for coach John Calipari.
He’s a former Ole Miss signee who played for Hillcrest Prep in Overtime Elite last season where he led the league in scoring at 27.1 points per game. He also averaged 7.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game for Hillcrest Prep and shot 46.7 percent from the field. He had 20 or more points in all but one game in Overtime Elite.
“Jordan has good size and has the ability to be a prolific scorer,” Calipari said in a release from UK. “His length allows him to play multiple positions, be dynamic in the open court, rebound at both ends and he can put it on the floor and score in a variety of ways.
“Jordan has challenged himself against the best of the best and wanted to continue to be pushed at the next level. I really love his toughness and his upside is tremendous, and that his dream since he was young was to play at Kentucky! I’m looking forward to getting in the gym and helping him take his game to new levels.”
Burks is a three-sport prospect ranked in the top 200 in his recruiting class — Hillcrest Prep coach Nick Weaver says he should be ranked much higher — and joins a UK freshman class that has Aaron Bradshaw, Robert Dillingham, Justin Edwards and DJ Wagner, four of the top 15 players in the recruiting class, along with Reed Sheppard, a top 40 player.
“I feel confident in my decision,” Burks said Monday after his announcement on the Paper Route podcast. “Coach Calipari is genuine, he’s a family guy, he is honest, he doesn’t lie, he tells every player the same thing. And it’s not gonna be easy, cause if it was easy then everybody could do it.
“So that’s why it’s the best fit for me, cause he wasn’t promising any minutes, nothing. You got to come to work, you got to work for what’s yours.”
Burks made it known he’s been a Kentucky basketball fan for a long time and called it his “dream” school before he made his college choice.
“I’ve been watching since I was a kid and seeing all of the players develop and progress into pros and compete for titles every year made this a place I wanted to play at,” Burks said in the UK release. “I wanted to play with the top players in the country at the top basketball school in the country and develop my game under coach Calipari, while working every day to win the national championship.
“I want to help this team win a national championship and create a bond with my teammates on and off the court. I want to prepare myself to be in the best shape and be the most productive I can be for this team.”
Burks is from Decatur, Ala., and began his high school career in Heritage Christian Academy in Alabama before transferring to Central Pointe Academy in Florida and then Hillcrest Prep.
His addition was desperately needed from a depth standpoint as he joins five incoming freshmen along with sophomores Adou Thiero and Ugonna Onyenso. Calipari is hoping to add three-star guard Joey Hart of Indiana and center Somto Cyril, who may reclassify from the 2024 recruiting class. He played in Overtime Elite last season also.
The 6-5 Hart is known as a prolific shooter and was previously committed to Central Florida. He also made an official visit to Indiana last week.
The 6-10 Cyril is from Nigeria and played with Dillingham last season.
