4-star Louisville native Kaden Magwood talks Kentucky, updates recruitment

Kaden Magwood was one of the top stars at the adidas 3SSB Palmetto Road Championship this past week. Suiting up alongside five-star wing Nate Ament for Team Loaded (VA), the two formed a deadly offensive duo that walked away with a third-place finish across the entire event.

It was a very productive stretch for Magwood, a 6-foot-2 combo guard currently slotted at No. 52 overall in 2025 by the On3 Industry Ranking. He was getting buckets in every way imaginable during his seven games played in Rock Hill, SC. The native of Louisville averaged 21.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per contest while shooting 48.6 percent from the field, 39.5 percent from deep, and 85.7 percent from the free throw line.

Arguably his best outing came on Friday in the second of two games that Team Loaded played that day. He exploded for 32 points and eight rebounds on 13-21 overall shooting, doing so in front of a slew of college head coaches, Kentucky’s Mark Pope among the bunch.

After his impressive performance, Magwood sat down with KSR for a quick interview where we discussed his recruitment and his interest in the home-state Wildcats. Magwood says that Kentucky assistant coach Jason Hart has been reaching out, although he’s hoping that his big week at Rock Hill will increase that contact even more.

“We talk like every other week, not too much,” Magwood said of his relationship with UK. “I feel like they respect my game but they don’t want to approach me a little bit. I honestly don’t know why. But hopefully I can change that after that game, and Coach Pope was right there front row. Hopefully he changes his mind on me.”

Another UK assistant, Cody Fueger, was courtside to watch Magwood and Ament play three separate times at the 3SSB Championship.

Magwood’s play certainly seemed to impress Kansas and head coach Bill Self. The Jayhawks extended him an offer the day after he dropped 32 points in front of a huge crowd of coaches. Magwood also holds scholarships from the likes of Louisville, Villanova, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Wake Forest, Cincinnati, Kansas State, Southern California, Vanderbilt, Florida State, Washington, NC State, and plenty more.

So far, he’s only taken one unofficial visit this year, which was to Cincinnati last month. That being said, Magood has now locked in a pair of official visits for later this summer. He tells KSR he’ll go to Ole Miss in late August and then Wake Forest in mid-September for his first officials.

Growing up in Louisville, Magwood recalls going to watch the Cardinals play with his late grandfather. His dad even took him to a Kentucky game many years ago. As a kid, watching John Calipari coach Kentucky always stood out to him. In fact, he referred to Calipari as his “dream coach”. Former UK assistant coach Chin Coleman was previously recruiting Magwood to Lexington before following Calipari to Arkansas. The Razorbacks have yet to reach out, he says.

There’s no denying Magwood’s talents when he has the ball in his hands. He can score from all three levels and is proficient in getting to the line. He hopes to improve his defense ahead of his senior season, where he’ll play for Combine Academy (NC), and draw even more looks from top-end colleges.

Whether or not Kentucky ramps up its interest in the coming months could be a major factor in the rest of his recruitment.