Caleb Wilson breaks down Kentucky's signees, interest in teaming up with trio

Remember that night Jasper Johnson, Acaden Lewis and Caleb Wilson all shared cryptic social media posts hinting at a potential package deal to Kentucky? It started with Johnson expressing interest in teaming up with Wilson after missing out on the opportunity during their AAU careers. Wilson and Lewis then followed that up with random eyeball emojis back and forth, putting Big Blue Nation on notice for a second time after the two already expressed interest in teaming up in college.

Johnson is a Cat. Lewis is a Cat. Is Wilson a Cat? We’ll find out soon.

While we wait for the No. 5 overall recruit to make his final decision, he is happy to admit the interest in teaming up with Kentucky’s trio of signees — Malachi Moreno being the third — is very real.

“It’s definitely appealing. I definitely love — I would love to have a relationship and I do have a relationship with the players that are already committed to Kentucky,” he told KSR.

Before we get into the future Wildcats’ games and what it’d be like for all four to team up in Lexington, the question must be asked: What in the world happened that night on social media? Were the cryptic posts calculated?

Wilson admits it was all intentional, the aftermath of some group chat shenanigans knowing Big Blue Nation would eat it all up.

“That night, we were all talking to each other. I think at that point Jasper had already committed, so we were just — I was just talking to Jasper about what he liked about Kentucky. He’s a hometown kid, so I feel like you’re kind of obligated to like the school,” he told KSR. “I was just trying to see how he felt about the new coach. Going from Coach Calipari to Coach Pope and still committing to UK, you kind of have to have some ties to the actual school. I just talked to him about that and I kind of like what he said. I like what he was telling me about how he felt like he had a relationship to the community and how he felt like Coach Pope was a good coach, how he believed in him.

“So me and Acaden were talking, all of us were in a group chat — it was all three of us. We were just talking about it and we just put it on social media. That’s all we did.”

It aligns with Lewis’ recollection of that night, the four-star signee saying they were ‘just playing around’ — though Wilson’s interest in Kentucky is ‘definitely genuine.’

“I know that for a fact,” Lewis added.

What is Kentucky getting in its three signees, who all made it official with the Wildcats to open the early signing period? What’s the appeal in teaming up together in Lexington? Wilson shared his scouting report on the top-30 prospects.

“Acaden, it’s his craftiness. He’s really creative. He’s a left-handed guard, so it’s really hard to guard him. He’s awkward. He has very good finishing around the rim and he can finish off the glass. He has a good shot, he’s really crafty — he’s almost like Rob Dillingham a little bit, a little crafty,” Wilson told KSR. “Jasper is an elite shooter. An elite shooter. And he actually can play defense. Some people say that he can’t, but he can definitely play defense. He’s really long and limber, but aren’t we all? We’re in high school. He’s definitely an elite player. Malachi, I’ve played with Malachi before, and I was at USA camp with him. Malachi is a very skilled big man, he plays with great pace and great footwork, and he’s open to passing out of the post, which is really good.”

Does Kentucky have an advantage with three pieces already in the fold that he has prior relationships with? Of course, certainly when you consider familiarity and the life adjustment that is college. It helps having a support system going in.

“I definitely love it. I love having the ability to go to college with other freshmen so it’s not as hard of an experience. You’re going into college expecting it to be a tough time,” Wilson said. “Like, I’m a freshman, it’s like starting over high school. My freshman year of high school, I remember crying after some practices because it was so tough for me. I expect that in college, because you’re dealing with grown men, you’re dealing with older guys. Like, it’s going to be tough. So I feel like going in with a group of freshmen that — you know, we all like each other, we’ve all had interactions before, we’re all good people. It’ll be very beneficial for me.”

On the flip side, the sport is older now and inexperience in numbers isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Banners aren’t hung for top-ranked recruiting classes, as Kentucky fans have found out the hard way over the years.

That’s something to keep in mind as Wilson inches closer toward a final decision. He’s interested, sure, but it’s not as simple as liking someone off the court. They have to be able to win together — which is very possible, but not necessarily a guarantee in today’s game.

“I also know college basketball is an older guy-ran league now, so it’s like, would you rather play with a young guard, a freshman guard, or would you rather play with an older guy?” Wilson told KSR. “That’s a conversation I’m sure a lot of coaches have. When they’re recruiting players, they have those conversations. So although I’m cool with these guys, and although I like these guys — they’re great people — am I going to be on the court with them at the same time? We are all trying to get there. It’s definitely appealing.

“… I do have a relationship with the players that are already committed Kentucky, but playing on the court is different than having a relationship off the court. And I kind of started to realize that the more and more I’ve watched college basketball this year and talked to the players that I could eventually be playing with if I do commit to Kentucky.”

Not a bad position to be in if you’re Kentucky.