Ugonna Kingsley reclassifies to 2022, remains a five-star

Ugonna Kingsley is the best defensive big I have scouted in the last five years. This is a lot of the reason why he was ranked No. 5 in On3’s 2023 rankings. His ability to take over a game on that end of the floor is unparalleled in the high school game today. I live-scouted multiple games where Kinglsey finished with double-figure blocked shots, completely dominating the defensive side of the ball.

Last week Andrew Slater put out that 2023 No. 5 Ugonna Kinglsey would be reclassifying into 2022. Yesterday On3’s Joe Tipton broke the news that Kingsley would be committing on August 1.

Today On3 officially moved Kingsley into our 2022 class rankings. We ranked him No. 18 and gave him a five-star grade of 98.

Kingsley’s recruitment

Upon Tipton breaking the news of a commitment on August 1, I reheated an intel piece on where he will be going. Kinglsey has taken official visits to Oklahoma State, Kentucky, and Oklahoma, so those are the three players.

Also mentioned in the intel piece is talk of Kingsley redshirting. This is merely a conversation we have heard that has started, with nothing finalized yet; the piece goes further in depth with that conversation.

Scouting report

You immediately see the size, length, and fluidity in how Ugonna Kingsley moves. The hips are loose, the feet are quick, and the leaping is explosive. On the defensive end, he is a natural. The timing is excellent at the rim and in the passing lanes. He can also fluidly move his feet when he switches onto a perimeter player. His defense is ahead of his offense at this point. At Putnam, they use him a lot from the high-post and elbows as a screener and ball-mover. He has touch but will need to continue developing confidence in the shot. The ball skills and vision will have to continue to tighten, but he runs the floor very well, changing ends at the drop of a time. There is touch at the free throw line, and he is showing more comfort finishing with his back to the basket. He has finished with double-figure blocks in multiple games we have live scouted this season. The defense is high level.