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John Calipari and Kentucky got a win Thursday even before the Cats took care of business against Louisville.
Top-40 prospect Billy Richmond gave Calipari his fifth ESPN 100 prospect in the 2024 recruiting class when he verbally committed to the Cats a few hours before UK beat Louisville.
Richmond’s commitment was almost expected since his father played for Calipari at Memphis and two of his high school teammates, D.J. Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw, now play at Kentucky. The 6-6 small forward also played with UK commit Boogie Fland in AAU basketball when both were younger.
Richmond also had Memphis, Miami, Alabama, Texas and LSU on his final list.
“I have been to their campus many times, and I know where everything is. I am extremely comfortable there. Their play style fits my game. They want to run on offense and score from their defense,” Richmond told ESPN’s Paul Biancardi.
The new commit knows plenty about Calipari from his father, Billy, who played under Calipari two years at Memphis and averaged 7.7 points per game.
“Coach Cal is a funny guy off the court,” Richmond told ESPN. “On the court, he is intense and hard. His players improve, and they have fun. That is what I want. He brightens up a room when he walks in. His advice to me is to keep my motor going every day. No letup. I have built a great relationship with him and the staff.”
He’s a left-handed wing with terrific speed, quickness and power. He could be at his best in transition but he also finishes well in traffic. He can also guard multiple positions, something Calipari really likes. His weakness at times is his outside jump shot.
He joins a recruiting class that already includes Jayden Quaintance (No. 14), Fland (No. 18), Somto Cyril (No. 55) and Travis Perry (No. 84). Kentucky is also still heavily pursuing V.J. Edgecome, a top-five prospect.
