Who Kentucky coaches will be watching at the Adidas 3SSB championship

Here at the KSR headquarters, we’re gearing up for another important recruiting stretch. As of this morning, college coaches can now evaluate prospects at events and showcases until Sunday night with another opportunity to scout from July 19-21. The most notable being Nike’s Peach Jam championship, which begins on Friday and runs through July 21. As always, KSR will have boots on the ground to follow Mark Pope and his crew of assistants around like lost puppies as we begin to paint a clearer picture of the staff’s Big Board for the 2025 and 2026 cycles.

But first, we have another major AAU event to cover. The final Adidas 3SSB circuit event of the summer, the Palmetto Road Championship, officially tipped on Tuesday down in Rock Hill, SC, and will continue throughout the rest of the weekend. I’ll have the pleasure of making my first journey to the Rock Hill Sports Center where I’ll monitor who the Kentucky staff is watching, gather interviews with their top prospects, and provide my thoughts on how the recruits performed.

While the overall popularity of the Nike event steals some of the shine from the Adidas one, don’t let it distract you from the elite-level talent that is still set to take the floor. The 3SSB circuit is loaded with five-stars and four-stars, plenty of them receiving significant interest from the Wildcats. Pope is already in the gym, too, having arrived early Thursday morning to keep tabs on his favorites.

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope and assistant Jason Hart are here in Rock Hill this morning.

First up, watching Indiana Elite 17u featuring 4-star center Malachi Moreno and 4-star shooting guard Braylon Mullins.#3SSB pic.twitter.com/dDHJxGJ7aX

— Brandon Ramsey (@BRamseyKSR) July 11, 2024

Who do we expect the Kentucky coaches to have their eyes on this weekend in Rock Hill? Let’s break it down.

Class of 2025 prospects

Darryn Peterson (SG) 6-5, 195 | Phenom United 17U
5-star: No. 3 overall, No. 1 SG

• Arguably the best Adidas player in this entire event, Darryn Peterson was a top priority under John Calipari. However, Pope wasted little time getting his staff involved and Peterson has said he will take another visit to Lexington to meet with the new staff. Kansas has been trending as the favorite while the likes of Washington, Ohio State, Louisville, Southern California, Stanford, and Arkansas are also in the mix.

Nate Ament (SF) 6-8, 170 | Team Loaded (VA) 17U
5-star: No. 7 overall, No. 2 SF

• Nate Ament was a major target for Pope and his staff when they were at BYU and that mutual interest has only ramped up since the move to Kentucky. UK offered him in June and the expectation is the Wildcats will ultimately receive an official visit this fall. Fueger has played an important role in this recruitment over the last several months. Virginia, UConn, North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, LSU, Tennessee, Louisville, Indiana, and Michigan are after his talents, too.

Mikel Brown (PG) 6-3, 165 | Team Loaded (NC) 17U
5-star: No. 12 overall, No. 2 PG

• Nearly a month ago, Pope extended Mikel Brown (teammates with Ament) a scholarship. An official visit to UK for the fall is already in the works, too. Assistants Alvin Brooks, Jason Hart, and Fueger are all involved in Brown’s recruitment, as well. Pope even made a trip to Argentina last month where he watched Brown help lead Team USA to a gold medal at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup Tournament. Louisville, Alabama, Ole Miss, and Providence are involved.

Malachi Moreno (C) 7-0, 210 | Indiana Elite 17U
4-star: No. 25 overall, No. 1 C

• A familiar name for those from the Bluegrass is Georgetown’s own Malachi Moreno. The seven-footer recently went on an unofficial visit to UK and the Wildcats are positioned well at this stage in his recruitment. Moreno is down to a top eight that includes Kentucky, Arkansas, Iowa, Indiana, Louisville, North Carolina, Notre Dame, and Ohio State. He’s considered the top overall 2025 prospect from the Commonwealth.

Braylon Mullins (SG) 6-4, 180 | Indiana Elite 17U
4-star: No. 26 overall, No. 8 SG

• Teammates with Moreno, Braylon Mullins has been moving rather quickly with Kentucky as of late. Mullins earned his UK offer while on an unofficial visit a couple of weeks ago, which he received while standing at the top of Rupp Arena next to Pope. An official visit to Lexington has already been locked in for October. Mullins also has OVs set for UConn, Michigan, North Carolina, Indiana, and Tennessee.

Kaden Magwood (SG) 6-2, 160 | Team Loaded (VA) 17U
4-star: No. 52 overall, No. 14 SG

• Teammates with Ament on Team Loaded (VA) is Kaden Magwood, who originally hails from Louisville. He’s previously said that he would like to visit Kentucky after the new staff reached out. Magwood has locked in an official visit with Ole Miss later this summer with one to Georgia Tech in the works, as well. The likes of Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, Villanova, Louisville, Duke, and Oregon have also reached out.

Winters Grady (SF) 6-6, 200 | Jalen Green Elite 17U
4-star: No. 67 overall, No. 15 SF

• Kentucky’s interest level in Winters Grady might not be as high as the players mentioned above, but he’s still someone we’ll be keeping a close eye on to see how often the coaches are watching him. Contact was made by Brooks last month. Oklahoma, Oregon, Creighton, Arizona State, Southern California, Michigan, and New Mexico are among the schools he’s hearing from the most.

Class of 2026 prospects

Caleb Holt (SG) 6-5, 185 | Game Elite 16U
5-star: No. 3 overall, No. 1 SG

• With the 2026 recruits, it’s a bit tougher to identify who exactly is at the top of Pope’s Big Board, but we know of plenty who have at least been in contact with the new staff since June. Caleb Holt is the biggest name of this bunch. Alabama, Auburn, Houston, Georgia Tech, and Tennessee are involved with Duke and North Carolina ramping up interest. Holt was also a member of the Team USA squad that won gold at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup Tournament where Pope was in attendance.

Moustapha Diop (C) 6-10, 215 | Game Elite 16U
4-star: No. 13 overall, No. 1 C

• Teammates with Holt, Moustapha Diop has also been in touch with the new Kentucky staff over the last month. Alabama, Auburn, Cincinnati, Ole Miss, Georgia, Missouri, and Georgia Tech are a handful of the schools that have offered him.

Adam Oumiddoch (SG) 6-5, 180 | Team Loaded 16U
4-star: No. 23 overall, No. 7 SG

• Adam Oumiddoch has received offers from the likes of Illinois, LSU, Oklahoma State, and Iowa over the last two months. Kentucky initiated contact in June with Alabama, Nebraska, and Auburn also in touch.

Tay Kinney (PG) 6-0, 160 | Wildcat Select 16U
4-star: No. 33 overall, No. 6 PG

• The third of four Bluegrass-born recruits on this list is Tay Kinney out of Newport. Kinney is familiar with current Wildcats such as Trent Noah and Travis Perry, having played against them over the years. The interest from UK is still light, but it will only continue to grow. Arkansas, Clemson, Auburn, Purdue, Tennessee, Indiana, Xavier, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, UCLA, and Western Kentucky are among the schools in the running.

Davion Adkins (PF) 6-8, 205 | Southern Assault 16U
4-star: No. 37 overall, No. 4 PF

• Davion Adkins was first contacted by Kentucky in June by assistant Mikhail McLean. A visit to Lexington is already in the works for some time after the AAU season wraps up. The likes of Baylor, Kansas, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, SMU, Texas, and many others have also been reaching out to him.

Brandon Bass Jr. (SG) 6-3, 170 | Austin Rivers Elite 17U
4-star: No. 41 overall, No. 10 SG

• Brandon Bass Jr. is the son of Brandon Bass, who played 12 years in the NBA before retiring from basketball in 2020. He’s also the only 2026 member on this list who plays up a year in competition. Kentucky was among the many schools to reach out to Bass in June. LSU, Illinois, St. John’s, Houston, Central Florida, and Stanford have all offered.

Dean Rueckert (SF) 6-7, 185 | Utah Prospects 16U
4-star: No. 53 overall, No. 17 SF

• Dean Rueckert was initially recruited by Fueger when the latter was at BYU, and that contact has transitioned to Kentucky. Originally from Utah, Rueckert has already discussed a possible visit to Lexington. The new staff at BYU, Louisville, Stanford, Michigan State, Utah, Washington, Boise State, and St. Mary’s have all reached out since June.

Gabe Weis (PF) 6-7, 170 | Wildcat Select 16U
4-star: No. 80 overall, No. 14 PF

• Originally from Washington County, Gabe Weis made the decision to transfer to Florida powerhouse Montverde Academy ahead of his junior season. The new Kentucky staff has reached out since June. He’s received offers from the likes of Xavier (a school he unofficially visited a couple of weeks ago), Missouri, Indiana, West Virginia, Iowa, Penn State, Texas A&M, and others.