John Calipari visits Kentucky signee Jayden Quaintance

Where in the world is Coach Cal? Today, he’s in Raleigh at the John Wall Holiday Invitational checking out another future Cat.

John Calipari (along with the likes of Reed Sheppard, DJ Wagner, Justin Edwards and Aaron Bradshaw) watched Kentucky signee Travis Perry in the White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic on Wednesday. The Hall of Fame coach then hit the road with Orlando Antigua to watch Jayden Quaintance in North Carolina.

One of the greatest to ever do it is in the building @KentuckyMBB 🐐 pic.twitter.com/6dUxzSpanR

— Holiday Invitational (@JohnWallHoliday) December 28, 2023

Quaintance is coming off a dominant performance to open the event, going for 21 points on 7-14 shooting and 1-3 from deep to go with eight rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal for Word of God. A couple of his buckets? Big-time slams, the five-star forward unsurprisingly showing off his versatility and athleticism at 6-10, 225 pounds.

Kentucky commit Jayden Quaintance (@qjayhoops) played in ATTACK MODE today at @JohnWallHoliday 😤 pic.twitter.com/v36a3HBCWE

— Bryce Lanning (@EliteMixtapesYT) December 28, 2023

“Jayden Quaintance is a physical specimen. That is part of what has him held in such high regard, physically he simply does things that others are not blessed to be capable of,” On3’s Jamie Shaw said of the five-star prospect, naming him a top performer on day one of the John Wall Invitational. “The Raleigh (NC) Word of God center stands 6-foot-10 with long arms and a wildly explosive frame. Right off the rip, Quaintance showed off his physicality with a deep seal, spin-off of his man, and a monster dunk in traffic. That set the tone for some of the highlights Quaintance would be coming for this game.

“He finished with multiple dunks in the game and knocked down a couple of mid-range jumpers. Quaintance’s frame and athleticism also play well on the defensive end as he is able to cover a lot of ground as he slides his feet, opens his hops, and protects the paint.”

Quaintance is rated as the No. 4 overall prospect and No. 1 center in the latest ’24 On3 Player Rankings. He committed to Kentucky back on Nov. 14 over Missouri and signed with the program during the early period just a few days later.

“Jayden is a prodigy with a unique combination of strength, agility, skill and size for a young man who is only 16 years old,” John Calipari said of Quaintance. “He has an incredible ceiling and we’re excited about what his future holds.”