Sacha Killeya-Jones, a 6-foot-10 power forward from Lynchburg (Va.) Virginia Episcopal School, announced on Twitter he has committed to Kentucky, becoming their second 2016 commitment after New Zealand forward Tai Wynyard.
“I look at what Coach [John] Calipari has done with players like myself, and I see the way he prepares them for the next level and it’s impressive,” Killeya-Jones, who decommitted from Virginia in June, told ESPN.com. “He is a really genuine person who is a demanding coach. I felt very comfortable with him and [I] trust him.”
He also considered North Carolina, N.C. State, Kansas and Florida, among others.
“He thought it was a great fit,” Team Loaded coach Ty White told SNY.tv by phone Wednesday morning.
“They had a great vision for him. He’s very versatile. He can score. He faces the basket, back to the basket. He loves how he can develop under Calipari. It’s kind of hard not to love to be developed by Calipari.”
Kentucky in recent years has recruited and developed a slew of talented big men under Calipari, including Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Anthony Davis, Nerlens Noel and others.
“A lot of coaching staffs tell you what you want to hear but I liked their straightforward approach,” Killeya-Jones told ESPN.com. “I would see [assistant] coach John Robic at my games and he would later analyze my game. He was honest on what I did well and what I needed to focus on to improve. [Assistant] coach Kenny Payne will be my position coach and he is always giving me great advice about how I can be better. I really liked that about their staff.”
Kentucky is reportedly awaiting the arrival of Australian big man Isaac Humphries for 2015-16. Humphries will reportedly reclass and enter for this season, but has yet to make a public announcement.
