**After Kerry Blackshear initially said he did not meet with John Calipari on Monday, it turns out that the family did.
Kentucky has several big guys testing the waters including EJ Montgomery and Nick Richards, which may have something to do with the “secrecy.” https://t.co/lkxbqLtYzq
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 24, 2019
By ADAM ZAGORIA
Virginia Tech redshirt junior forward Kerry Blackshear Jr. did not meet with Kentucky coach John Calipari on Monday, but is working on setting up a meeting.
“That wasn’t the case,” Kerry Blackshear Sr. said Monday night by phone in reference to a report his son met with Calipari.
Asked about a possible upcoming meeting, the father said, “Yes, I am [scheduled to meet with him]. To be honest, we’re trying to figure that out right now as we speak.”
He added: “Kentucky has great basketball tradition. I don’t know Coach Calipari like that, I’ll have to do some research. But you know, it’s basketball.”
Blackshear Jr. will be a graduate transfer eligible to play next season, but will also gauge his NBA options as well.
Kentucky has had great success in recent years with grad transfers, adding former Stanford big man Reid Travis for last season and former Bucknell big man Nate Sestina for 2019-20.
The 6-foot-10 Blackshear Jr. averaged 15 points and 7.5 rebounds per game for the Hokies and started all 35 games. The points and rebounds per game and games played were all career-high marks for Blackshear Jr.
Blackshear Jr. was named to the Second Team All-ACC squad and the NCAA East Region All-Tournament Team.
Meantime, his father said virtually every school in the country has called.
“Every school in the country has called me so it’s kind of tough to say right now,” Blackshear Sr. said.
“I’m going to work out a date with a few coaches, that’s the process. We’re working out the process of the draft, and we’re working out [meetings] with certain coaches.”
He declined to mention any other specific schools “because there’s so many.” “I’m going to meet with a lot of coaches,” he added.
“K.J. will let me know who he wants to meet with and we’ll go from there.”
Photo: AP
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