Kentucky Commits Bradshaw & Wagner Dazzle in Bluegrass Debut
William Exum Center at Kentucky State University was swarming with talent in its marquee matchup between the Camden (NJ) Panthers and the Combine Academy (NC) Goats Friday night.
These two rosters are loaded with talent, consisting of a combined two five-star recruits, four four-star recruits, and two three-star recruits. Much to the delight of the hundreds of Kentucky Basketball fans in attendance, the two five-star recruits just so happen to be making their way to the Commonwealth next season.
Five-star commits Aaron Bradshaw and DJ Wagner Jr headline Kentucky’s stacked 2023 Recruiting Class and finally got to perform in front of the Big Blue Nation Friday night.
“It was real fun ‘cause I saw a lot of blue out there. I really appreciate them for coming out. It felt like I was in Rupp Arena,” a giddy Bradshaw said after his 21-point performance.
“It was fun. It was a great experience,” said Wagner when discussing playing in front of Kentucky fans for the first time. “I’m very appreciative of them coming out to support us.”
Playing in front of the Wildcat faithful seemed to inject a little extra fuel into Bradshaw and Wagner pre-game, as they propelled Camden to a huge early lead and didn’t look back.
Pre-Game Festivities
University of Louisville Head Coach Kenny Payne and his coaching staff were first on the scene, filing in to watch four-star SF Trentyn Flowers of Combine Academy. According to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, Creighton, Oklahoma, and Louisville are the junior’s most likely landing spots. Flowers finished with 15 points on the night.
Just minutes before tip-off, John Calipari and Chin Coleman made their grand courtside appearance at the Exum Center. Just a 30-minute drive from Rupp Arena, Cal and Chin made their way to Frankfort to support the next crop of Kentucky superstars. As well as supporting their incoming freshmen, the Kentucky coaching staff still had a little recruiting to do.
A teammate of Wagner and Bradshaw at Camden, four-star shooting guard Billy Richmond III has found his way onto Kentucky’s radar. Richmond’s father Billy Richmond Jr. played at Memphis from 2002-04 under Calipari. Richmond III is an extremely smooth finisher at the glass and plays very composed. He received an offer from Kentucky in early January. He finished with 15 points.
Just after tip-off commenced, Jacob Toppin, Antonio Reeves, Chris Livingston, Lance Ware, Adou Thiero, and Kareem Watkins took their seats behind the basket to support their future Wildcat teammates.
Camden Jumps out Early
Before you could blink, Camden already held a 13-1 lead.
Richmond got the Panthers started early with a nice layup and contested three-pointer. Bradshaw got out to an extremely hot start, finishing with 10 first quarter points. The #2 overall player in the Class of 2023 effortlessly took Combine Academy’s Elhadji Diallo to the rim and scored easily in a nice display of his smooth footwork.
Not only can Bradshaw score at the rim, but he has developed a nice jump shot over the past year or so as well.
After knocking down a three-pointer on a pick-and-pop from Wagner, Bradshaw immediately followed it up with a 15-feet contested turnaround jumper on Camden’s next possession. If Bradshaw gets to Lexington and is able to knock down a jumper as efficiently as he can score at the rim, look out America.
At halftime, this game was pretty much already over. Bradshaw led his team in points with 15, Richmond trailing closely behind at 11. One of his strongest skills is making tough layups, a skill he showed the Kentucky coaching staff multiple times Friday night.
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Blowout City
DJ Wagner had somewhat of a slow start, scoring only five points in the first half. Wagner however would take over the second half.
Wagner would finish with 18 points on the night, tied with Dasear Haskins for second most on the team. DJ’s ability to create his own shot and get to the free throw line are going to lead to big numbers in blue and white.
Louisville target Trentyn Flowers had a solid second half, but at no point in this game did Combine Academy have a shot to force a comeback. A Billy Richmond statement dunk at the end of the third quarter pretty much summed this one up.
“It was great. I just wanted to give the fans a show,” Richmond said postgame, discussing introducing his game to the Big Blue Nation.
On seeing Cal and Chin sitting courtside, Richmond said “It was cool because they came to a few games where I didn’t show what I can really do, so I had to prove myself tonight and show why they’re recruiting me.”
Bradshaw Nothing but Smiles Postgame
Aaron Bradshaw is going to be a fan-favorite across BBN.
The 7-foot Bradshaw beamed from ear to ear when discussing his journey from Camden to Kentucky alongside Wagner.
“Me and him have been talking about it and it’s surreal. Not too many people get to go as a package deal but it’s like playing with my little brother.”
Kentucky fans showed tonight once again why they are the premier fanbase in all of college sports. On a Friday night, hundreds of Wildcat faithful made the trip to Frankfort to show their support for a few future ‘Cats.
“I felt like I was at home,” Bradshaw said about being around the Big Blue Nation. “It was a good feeling. I wanted to play hard in front of them because they didn’t have to come out for me. They could have just stayed home, but they decided to come out and watch me, DJ and my team play so it was an honor.”
Buckle in BBN; these two are going to be absolute rock stars next season.
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