No. 1-ranked recruit Wagner chooses Kentucky

D.J. Wagner, the No. 1-ranked precocious schoolhouse senior, announced his committedness to Kentucky connected Monday, choosing the Wildcats implicit Louisville.

Wagner's committedness gives John Calipari and Kentucky the No. 1 recruiting people successful the country. If the Wildcats decorativeness the rhythm astatine the apical -- and Wagner's pledge apt seals that -- it volition beryllium the seventh clip since Calipari took implicit successful Lexington that Kentucky has the top-ranked recruiting class. Wagner is besides the 4th No. 1 enlistee to perpetrate to the Wildcats nether Calipari, pursuing Shaedon Sharpe, Nerlens Noel and Anthony Davis.

"This was an highly hard determination that I went back-and-forth with for a agelong time. That's wherefore it took truthful long," Wagner told ESPN. "I'm existent comfy with my decision. Coach John Calipari was ever straightforward and honorable with me. He said helium would beryllium with maine until the wheels autumn disconnected the car either way. And that meant truthful overmuch to me. When I watched him manager I could consciousness the intensity, however helium disciplines his squad and however helium breaks it down."

"The ambiance astatine Kentucky is unbelievable," helium added. "I've been determination respective times and it's what I'm astir comfy with."

Wagner was the taxable of an aggravated recruiting conflict betwixt in-state rivals Kentucky and Louisville, with beardown familial ties to some programs. Calipari coached Wagner's father, Dajuan, astatine Memphis, and first-year Louisville manager Kenny Payne played with Wagner's grandfather, Milt, connected Louisville's 1986 nationalist title team.

In May, Payne hired Milt Wagner arsenic the program's manager of subordinate improvement and alumni narration -- a akin determination to erstwhile Calipari hired Milt astatine Memphis successful 2000. Wagner's stepbrother, Kareem Watkins, is simply a walk-on astatine Kentucky.

"My older member Kareem is connected the team," helium said. "That made a immense difference. I look up to him; we are precise close.

"My gramps was ever my gramps passim the process. He ne'er tried to enlistee me. He ever said what's champion for me. He's been a mentor successful my beingness and he's helped make maine into the subordinate and idiosyncratic that I am. He volition ever beryllium household first. Nothing but emotion for him."

A 6-foot-3 defender from Camden High School (New Jersey), Wagner has been considered the champion imaginable successful the 2023 people since aboriginal successful his precocious schoolhouse career. He averaged 18.8 points and 4.9 assists connected the Nike EYBL circuit with the NJ Scholars grassroots programme past outpouring and summer, including 9 20-point efforts successful 18 games. As a precocious schoolhouse inferior past season, Wagner averaged 19.8 points and led Camden to a New Jersey authorities championship.

Wagner besides helped pb USA Basketball to a golden medal astatine the 2022 FIBA U17 World Championships, starting each 7 games and averaging 9.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists.

He brings a existent competitory tone to the game; winning is paramount to Wagner. He went to USA Basketball with the mentality of winning a golden medal. He's astatine his champion successful the unfastened court, playing successful transition. He tin rebound defensively and past propulsion the shot up the level arsenic good arsenic anyone successful the class. He puts a batch of unit connected the defence with his velocity to people and his imaginativeness to marque the assist. He's a scoring constituent defender successful the mold of Cleveland Cavaliers prima Darius Garland.

When the crippled slows down successful the halfcourt, Wagner's betterment from the perimeter has been an asset. He's learning however to orchestrate successful pick-and-rolls and he's ever been effectual arsenic a downhill penetrator, getting into the overgarment and finishing with high-level assemblage control. He's decisive erstwhile helium gets into the paint, knowing erstwhile to pull-up, jump-stop and usage his floater oregon footwear retired to an unfastened teammate for a shot. Defensively, he's effectual erstwhile guarding connected the shot and besides has bully anticipation disconnected the ball.

Wagner joins a Kentucky people that present includes 4 of the apical 8 prospects successful the 2023 class, with Justin Edwards (No. 2), Aaron Bradshaw (No. 5) and Robert Dillingham (No. 8) already successful the fold. The Wildcats besides signed No. 26-ranked imaginable Reed Sheppard.

This marks lone the 3rd clip successful the past 10 years wherever 1 schoolhouse has landed 4 top-10 prospects successful the aforesaid class: Kentucky successful 2013, which had 5 of the apical nine, and Duke successful 2017.

"I'm coming determination to win," Wagner said. "Winning comes archetypal with maine and I privation to assistance Kentucky triumph arsenic overmuch arsenic possible."