5-star wing Will Riley 'focused on' four schools heading into summer visits

Class of 2025 prospect Will Riley is one of a handful of high school prospects in touch with new Kentucky head coach Mark Pope.

The Wildcats have already made quite the impression on Riley, who is ranked No. 9 overall and is considered a five-star recruit by On3. In fact, Kentucky is among the four schools that the 6-foot-8 Canadian wing is “focused on” as he heads into the summer, according to On3’s Jamie Shaw. Next on the checklist will be scheduling more visits, one of them likely going to Arkansas and former UK head coach John Calipari.

“I’ve taken an official visit to Arizona already,” Riley told On3. “I’m planning visits to Alabama, Kentucky, and Arkansas, too. These are the four schools I’m focused on right now.”

Will Riley, On3’s No. 9 player in 2025, tells @On3Recruits he is focusing on four schools.

The 6-9 On3 5⭐️ breaks down Kentucky, Arizona, Alabama, Arkansas and talks final visits: https://t.co/yP1fKYymZW pic.twitter.com/YhYxfp1k6d

— Jamie Shaw (@JamieShaw5) May 6, 2024

KSR recently spoke with Riley in late April down in Memphis during the first session of the Nike EYBL season. He explained that a visit to Kentucky was already locked in before a conflict altered the schedule, adding that a trip to Lexington will happen at some point in the near future. No date has been set as of right now.

“I have a pretty good relationship (with Pope),” Riley said. “I’ve talked to him a couple of times and I’m just looking to build my relationship with him.

“I watched their games (from BYU). It’s like a video game with them. They shoot a lot of jump shots, a lot of threes, and I like that. It fits very well because I’m a very good transition player, I can catch and shoot very well, and I can play off the dribble.”

It was a bit of a shock when Riley included Kentucky in his top-five list on April 24 (which also featured the NBL along with the four schools already mentioned), considering Pope had only been on the job for less than two weeks. But the new UK staff clearly likes what they see in Riley, who is a possible reclass candidate for 2024.

After wrapping up another stretch of AAU basketball over the weekend, Riley is now averaging 18.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per outing for UPlay across six games played. He’s shooting 53.4 percent from the field, 31.3 percent from deep, and 84.8 percent from the line. He’ll return to action next weekend for session three in Indianapolis.