Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
As first reported by Kyle Tucker of the Courier-Journal, Calipari and Payne are recruiting the Orangeville Prep duo of Thon Maker and Jamal Murray. Both are considering reclassifying to 2015 from 2016 and Kentucky is targeting both players.
Both players are also listed in the 2016 NBA Mock Draft by DraftExpress.com, with Murray at No. 18 and Maker at No. 25.
It’s possible that one or both could spend a year in college before heading to the draft. Alternatively, one or both could remain in Canada next season and head straight to the draft from Canada in 2016.
Kentucky lost seven players to the NBA Draft, including four bigs and three guards, and could use either or both of Maker and Murray next season.
The 6-foot-5 Murray has excelled in recent weeks, drawing increased interest from Kentucky and Duke after he scored 30 points to lead the World Team to the Nike Hoop Summit title over the U.S. last week and then dropped 29 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds in a loss in the BioSteel All-Canadian All-Star Game in Toronto on April 14.
UNLV-bound Jalen Poyser had 21 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in the win for the Red Team.
The 7-foot Maker had 8 points and 6 rebounds in the win. Indiana, Duke and Kansas are also in the mix for Maker, but it remains unclear if he will end up on a college campus because of amateurism issues.
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
As we reported earlier today, Kentucky coach John Calipari and assistant Kenny Payne are in Canada recruiting.
