Kentucky coach John Calipari and Kentucky-bound guard Quade Green were among those on hand Sunday afternoon watching Mohamed Bamba and Hamidou Diallo in the PSA Cardinals Showcase at The Hill School in Pottstown, Pa.
Villanova coach Jay Wright, UConn’s Dwayne Killings, Harvard’s Brian Eskildsen, St. Joe’s Phil Martelli, Temple’s Fran Dunphy, Penn State’s Pat Chambers, Virginia Tech’s Buzz Williams and USF’s Oliver Antigua were also on hand, according to Pat Lawless and other reports.
After committing to the Wildcats last month, Green said he now has his sights set on adding Bamba, Diallo and Kevin Knox to another emerging star-studded class at Kentucky.
Jay Wright, Fran Dunphy, Phil Martelli and John Calipari having a chat at the @PSACardinals event yesterday (Photo: @mnjsports): pic.twitter.com/mUH8ueySCy
— Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) December 5, 2016
Green and Bamba, teammates on the PSA Cardinals AAU squad, sat next to one another at the Champions Classic when Kentucky beat Michigan State on Nov. 15 at Madison Square Garden.
“Now it’s my time to recruit him now,” Green said of the 7-foot Bamba. “Hopefully.”
Bamba, the projected No. 2 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, is considering Kentucky, Duke, Texas and Harvard, among others. He’s expected to sign in the spring.
Mo Bamba with this reverse dunk in front of Calipari and the other coaches. pic.twitter.com/pcCqvOdBN1
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) December 4, 2016
Bamba isn’t the only one on Green’s Christmas wish list.
“There’s a bunch of guys I want to get there to play with me, Diallo, Kevin Knox, a bunch of ’em,” he said.
The 6-6 Diallo is weighing whether to declare for the 2017 NBA Draft or go to college for a year. He has indicated his desire to attend college, but more than 30 NBA scouts watched him last month at the National Prep Showcase in New Haven, Conn.
He’s considering Kentucky, UConn, Syracuse, Arizona, Kansas and Indiana.
Just throw it up to Hami! ?? @PSAhoops @Diallo1Hamidou @AdamZagoria @AdamFinkelstein @PSACardinals pic.twitter.com/7WYEc8SRbR
— Overtime (@overtime) December 4, 2016
Kentucky assistant Tony Barbee also saw Diallo Friday night at the Showcase, while Syracuse head man Jim Boeheim was in the building on Saturday night.
The 6-8 Knox out of Tampa (FL) Catholic is down to Duke, Kentucky, UNC and Florida State, and hopes to commit in February or March.
Calipari has said he plans to sign “five or six” players for the upcoming class.
Asked then how Kentucky could fit all of these recruits under the scholarship limit, Green said with a laugh: “They’re clearing out over there. “I think De’Aaron [Fox], Malik [Monk], and Isaiah [Briscoe] are all going to the draft.”
Fox and Monk are projected as first-round picks in 2017, while DraftExpress.com has Briscoe listed as a second-rounder in 2018.
Meantime, Green now joins a class that currently includes forwards P.J. Washington and Nick Richards and combo guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
