BREAKING NEWS: Top talented key man officially visits Kentucky for mega sideline
The summer AAU season began this weekend with the Nike EYBL tournament in Memphis marking the start of travel competitions. Despite college coaches being barred from attending outside of live periods, it seems that Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats are already eyeing top prospects for the 2025 class.
Although Darryn Peterson received a renewed offer, the coaching staff seems focused on bringing in a top-15 prospect for a campus visit soon.
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One such prospect, Will Riley, a small forward in the class of 2025, was competing in Memphis over the weekend. In an interview with Zack Geoghegan of KSR after a game on Saturday, Riley mentioned that Mark Pope had nearly arranged for him to visit campus the previous week.
2025 5-star prospect Will Riley is being recruited heavily by Kentucky and new HC Mark Pope.
The 6-foot-8 wing was even scheduled to visit UK last week before the plans fell through. Now, the expectation is he'll be in Lexington "sometime soon".
— Zack Geoghegan (@ZGeogheganKSR) April 28, 2024
“Last week, I was supposed to visit, but it got rescheduled, so I should anticipate a visit soon,” Riley explained. “The timing was too rushed for a one-day visit, so we decided to postpone it.”
Moreover, Riley appears to be impressed by Mark Pope’s coaching style at Kentucky. “I’ve watched their games at BYU. It’s like watching a video game. They take a lot of jump shots and threes, which I enjoy. It suits my playing style well because I excel in transition, catch-and-shoot situations, and off-the-dribble plays.”
Building strong relationships with prospects is crucial for the new coaching staff in Lexington. Fortunately, Alvin Brooks and Jason Hart bring valuable connections from their previous coaching experiences. Brooks has relationships with high-level recruits from his time at Baylor, while Hart has coaching experience with the NBA G-League Ignite team.
Securing a visit from Riley would be a significant accomplishment, and it seems one is imminent. This would mark an impressive recruiting victory for the staff as they kick off their efforts for the class of 2025.
Riley is currently ranked as a five-star prospect and is listed as the No. 15 player overall and the No. 2 small forward in the class according to the 247 Sports Composite rankings.