After a few weeks of scuttlebutt surrounding Jaden McDaniels to the Kentucky Wildcats, including Evan Daniels making his crystal ball prediction for the Wildcats, Daniels changed his prediction to unknown tonight. While you would feel more comfortable if the crystal ball said Kentucky, I genuinely think that no one knows where McDaniels is headed. McDaniels has until Wednesday to sign his letter of intent to play at his school, though some believe McDaniels could wait longer and just sign financial aid paperwork. That would gave him more time to see how the NBA Draft decisions play out. That being said, Corey Evans from Rivals is still sticking with the Washington Huskies for McDaniels. My gut feeling is still saying Kentucky, so that’s what I am going with for now, but absolutely no one knows for sure. Heck, Ashton Hagans just gave up his No. 2 jersey, which many speculated was so McDaniels cold take the number for next season. Follow our Twitter page and then go ‘like’ our Facebook page for the latest Kentucky Wildcats news and views.<doc-sep>Only a few five-star players remain in the Class of 2019, with Federal Way (Wash.) High’s Jaden McDaniels ranking among the most coveted. The No. 1 power forward and No. 8 overall player in the 247Sports Composite, McDaniels’ 247Sports Crystal Ball sees him with a tough choice between Kentucky, in-state Washington and San Diego State, where his brother played. And Evan Daniels, 247Sports director of basketball recruiting, logged a 247Sports Crystal Ball pick for Kentucky Wednesday. “It sounds like this may come down to Kentucky and Washington,” Daniels said. “And my gut says that Kentucky is in good shape.” Daniels’ pick started a slight run in predictions favoring the Wildcats, with Kentucky now boasting 50 percent of the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions, ahead of Washington and San Diego State (25 percent apiece). McDaniels also visited Texas in November. It’s easy to see why McDaniels is so sought-after. He may be one of the highest-potential players in the class and has even spent time in the top five of the 247Sports Composite after shooting up the rankings like a rocket about a year ago. After all, there aren’t many 6-foot-11 players who are comfortable handling the ball and playing away from the basket like McDaniels is. “I think it’s his size, length, athleticism and fluidity, all mixed with his skill set,” Daniels said of McDaniels’ high ceiling. “It’s a skill set that he’s continued to improve over the course of his high school career. “When you have that kind of plus size and his package of skills that allow him to score at that high a level,” Daniels said, “it’s impressive.” McDaniels averaged 18.6 points per game for Seattle Rotary on Nike’s EYBL circuit, chipping in 9.1 rebounds and just shy of two assists per game, with 1.3 blocks per contest. In one EYBL game, he showed just why he’s so enticing, helping to break a press with his dribbling ability and getting into transition and finding his teammates with his vision. That makes him an interesting prospect for a Kentucky team that could be looking for a versatile four man. With EJ Montgomery and Nick Richards both testing the waters and Bucknell graduate transfer Nate Sestina looking more like a five — albeit one who can shoot from the outside — McDaniels would allow Kentucky to have a tall four who could also stretch things out like the Wildcats’ other options, should they play smaller with somebody like Keion Brooks at the position. “He certainly could fit in well there, but I think he could fit in anywhere,” Daniels said. “But I think he’d do really well as a versatile stretch four at Kentucky. They really let their fours play with freedom and allow them to play inside and out, and I think that’s really where he’s at his best.”<doc-sep>The sweepstakes for five-star recruit Jaden McDaniels is down to a two-team race. The McDonald’s All-American is one of the few remaining stars left from his class that is undecided. McDaniels is the No. 8 overall recruit and the top option at his position from the 2020 class, per 247Sports. Rumors were floating around about McDaniels making his final decision, but those aren’t true. The Federal Way product still hasn’t announced where he’ll play college hoops. According to Evan Daniels of 247Sports, the only teams left battling for McDaniels are Kentucky and Washington. The majority of scouts and experts believe McDaniels is leaning toward Kentucky, but nothing is official as of now. Jaden McDaniels tells @247Sports he has NOT signed a Letter of Intent, despite rumors that he has. Washington & Kentucky battling for the five-star talent. — Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) May 14, 2019 Most predictions have the Wildcats landing McDaniels, who would elevate the best recruiting class in the country. Last week, John Calipari received a commitment from four-star forward Johnny Juzang. Kentucky holds commitments from multiple five-star recruits, yet McDaniels would be the highest-ranked freshman of the group. As for the Huskies, adding McDaniels would give head coach Mike Hopkins his second five-star recruit for next season. Washington made the NCAA Tournament this past season and have shown signs of improvement under Hopkins. Stay tuned to find out where McDaniels will play college basketball.<doc-sep>
The recruitment of Jaden McDaniels is almost over, and the Kentucky Wildcats appear to have jumped into the lead. On Wednesday, 247 Sports recruiting director Evan Daniels logged a Crystal Ball prediction for Kentucky to land the top-10 recruit out of Seattle. The buzz for Kentucky has been building for the last couple of weeks after the Washington Huskies were seemingly on the verge of keeping McDaniels home for college. But the reality is no one ever really knew what McDaniels was going to do, as he’s very reserved and never tipped his hand as to who he was favoring. Most experts were picking McDaniels simply because they thought he wanted to stay home for college. And to be fair, some of McDaniels’ recent comments made it sound like the Huskies were in a good spot for his services. “With Washington, there’s nothing better than being at home,” McDaniels said in April. “I have a really good relationship with (Washington assistant coach Will) Conroy. Love the staff there.” But we also forget that Kentucky was once considered McDaniels’ “dream school,” so it really should come as a surprise that they may end up being the pick when it’s all said and done. Check out some recent highlights of the ‘potential’ future Wildcat in action: A Sea of Blue comes loaded with the best Kentucky Wildcats links, news, analysis, and some other fun stuff, so be sure to go ‘like’ our Facebook page and then go follow us on Twitter. And go Cats!