Matas Buzelis continues to hear from Kentucky; Reed Sheppard reaching out

Matas Buzelis is near the top of Kentucky’s Big Board for the class of 2023, and now the ‘Cats are getting some extra help in his recruitment.

The Nike EYBL third session is in Louisville this weekend to showcase the top high school basketball players in the country. Buzelis is one of the stars, coming into the event as a five-star prospect ranked No. 13 in the country, per the On3 Consensus. Suiting up for Expressions Elite, the 6-foot-10 point forward dropped 15 points, four assists, two rebounds, one steal, and one block on 6-10 shooting in his first outing of the event. Expressions won easily, beating the Georgia Stars 71-52.

Following the win, Buzelis spoke with a few reporters for about five minutes to talk about his playstyle and recruitment. For those who don’t know, Buzelis received an offer from Kentucky back in Dec. 2021 following an official visit. The Wildcat coaching staff, led by assistant Chin Coleman, has remained in heavy contact with the unique talent. Buzelis has known Coach Coleman since their days with the Mac Irvin Fire, the EYBL’s Chicago-based team.

“They want me. That’s it,” Buzelis said bluntly about what he’s hearing from Kentucky.

15 pts, 4 asts, 2 rebs, 1 stl, and 1 blk for Matas Buzelis in his first game of the 3rd RYBL session. Shot 6-10 from the floor in a 71-52 win for Expressions Elite over Georgia Stars.

Says Reed Sheppard is recruiting him on UK’s behalf. pic.twitter.com/qDg1D6ugLJ

— Zack Geoghegan (@ZGeogheganKSR) May 28, 2022

A soon-to-be senior at Brewster Academy (NH), Buzelis’ recruitment has been one of the bigger question marks among the top 2023 prospects. He doesn’t show his hand much at all. In addition to his UK visit, he’s also taken officials to Wake Forest and Florida State. North Carolina and Arizona could be the next two schools to get an OV this summer, Buzelis said, but nothing is set in stone right now. He will “probably” take one or two more visits before making a final decision. The pro route is not an option at the moment.

Buzelis wouldn’t go into great detail about which schools are recruiting him the most or standing out more than others, but he did give a couple of hints about what’s going on behind the scenes. He says that class of 2023 five-star forward GG Jackson, who is committed to North Carolina, is pushing him to choose the Tar Heels and that they talk once or twice a week.

Meanwhile, UK has a player that’s doing the same, too. Buzelis says that four-star Kentucky commit Reed Sheppard has been reaching out and pitching the ‘Cats. The two talk regularly online, with Sheppard explaining to Buzelis how he’d fit into the program. When asked how he personally thinks he’d gel with UK’s scheme, Buzelis said that he would “fit in perfect”.