John Calipari watches 2023 prospects J.J. Taylor, Isaiah Miranda

Kentucky head coach John Calipari made a trip up to Erie, Pa., on Thursday to watch Donda Academy face Springfield (Mass.) Commonwealth Academy.

He was in town to watch specifically look at Commonwealth Academy four-star power forward Isaiah Miranda out of Malvern (Pa.) and Donda Academy five-star small forward J.J. Taylor out of Chicago, according to Andrew Slater.

Donda Academy won the game, 75-69, behind 28 points and 10 assists from five-star point guard and NC State commit Robert Dillingham.

Miranda had 25 points and eight rebounds while Taylor had 17 points.

Taylor is the No. 8 overall player in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Miranda is the No. 35 overall player in the class.

Miranda is the second-best player in the class behind Philadelphia Imhotep Institute five-star small forward Justin Edwards.

The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

The Wildcats have offered six small forwards in the 2023 cycle: Baltimore Montverde Academy five-star KJ Evans Jr., Gladstone (N.J.) Gill St. Bernard School five-star Mackenzie Mgbako, Jefferson (Ore.) Compass Prep five-star Mookie Cook, Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy Matas Buzelis, Edwards and Taylor.