Quaintance a 'prodigy,' Fland to have 'keys to the Lamborghini' -- "Very, very, very good group"

Kentucky‘s eight-man recruiting class closed as the nation’s best this past cycle. And the on-court results have been nothing short of promising, each of the core rotation pieces producing at various points through the exhibition slate and to open the regular season. Together, it appears to be a collective unit capable of making a run.

As this group looks to create something special, John Calipari is building his next contender in ’24. It started with four-star center Somto Cyril back in June, followed by five-star guard Boogie Fland — the program’s first two signees during the early signing period. Kentucky then added four-star guard Travis Perry before hitting its next home run in five-star center Jayden Quaintance just 48 hours later. The four-man group is now rated as second-best in the latest 2024 On3 Industry Team Rankings — and the Wildcats aren’t done there, trending for four-star wing Billy Richmond while also weighing other potential late additions in the spring.

Needless to say, things are coming together quite nicely.

“Very, very, very excited about this group. This group is unique in its own way,” assistant coach Chin Coleman said Thursday. ”A little different from this current group but it’s a very, very, very good group.”

What does he like about each of the four publicly announced signees? Sit down and stay awhile. It’s going to take a minute.

Somto Cyril

Let’s start with Cyril, the program’s first addition this summer. Standing 6-10, 250 pounds, the native of Enugu, Nigeria remains a work in progress from a pure skill perspective. That’s a consensus. What he does well, though, he does better than everyone else in the world.

Those physical traits are needed in this program.

“Somto Cyril, he’s a freak of nature. Obviously, he’s got to get better with his skill set, right? But he does things that no one in the world can do, not even guys in the NBA in terms of pure shot-blocking, pure vertical spacer,” Coleman said. “He gets way over the rim. That gives you something not a lot of teams have in terms of vertical spacing. He blocks shots, an unbelievable teammate. He’s at a place where they work on skill development every single day, so he’ll get better.

“But in terms of force, physicality, rim protection and vertical spacing, he’s the best in the country at that. We need to continue to have that on our team.”

Boogie Fland

As for Fland, Calipari knew he needed another big-time guard to help lead the program next season. His response? Go get the best one in the class.

That’s what Coleman believes Kentucky got in the White Plains, N.Y. standout.

“Boogie [Fland], he is the best point guard in the country,” he said. “We like the guards here, but we also understand that we had to get another guard, depending on what we have. So we got the best in Boogie. We expect Boogie to come in here and have the keys to the Lamborghini, drive it the right way.”

Travis Perry

And then there was the surprise commitment from Perry, a player who had other high-major opportunities elsewhere to play a guaranteed role as a freshman. Promises of minutes and shots. Instead, the four-star guard chose to stay home and prove himself on the big stage.

That mindset intrigues the coaching staff.

“Travis, that’s a hometown kid. His parents share some relationships with the university. All he knows is blue. He wanted to come here no matter how many people recruited him. This is where he wanted to be,” Coleman said. “And it says something about kids that want to be here. That means a lot. We’re excited about his passion for the University of Kentucky men’s basketball program and this school, the community. He’s going to be fine. I mean, he is the leading scorer in Kentucky history. That’s a household name. For him to want to be a part of this, we’re excited.”

Jayden Quaintance

The biggest prize of the class? Quaintance, an addition Coleman is admittedly giddy about. A unique combination of size and skill, he feels he’s one of the best players in all of high school basketball.

And the Wildcats get him for two seasons thanks to his reclassification as a young 16-year-old. To be frank, that just doesn’t happen.

“You have a prodigy who is arguably one of the best players in the country, regardless of class. ’24, ’25, it doesn’t matter. Jayden Quaintance is really, really good. He too has some force and physicality, but he’s very, very skilled,” Coleman said. “He’s 6-10, 245 or 250 and he plays like a guard. He gives us that forward that we’ve had here in the past in terms of big-time forwards that come in and do really well. We’re so excited.

“And the crazy thing about it is, two years? Think about that. Jayden Quaintance for two years, that’s unheard of right there. To have a player of that magnitude, that impact for two years? You’re playing with house money. That was unbelievable.”

Undoubtedly a strong start in ’24. More help on the way?