Why Kentucky? DJ Wagner: "Going there is like going home"

Kentucky signee DJ Wagner is ready to play college basketball at his home away from home in Lexington. With a long list of options to choose from — Louisville, Villanova, Memphis and the G-League were also considered — the five-star guard signed with the program he grew up with and around.

His father, Dajuan Wagner Sr., played for John Calipari at Memphis. Walk-on guard Kareem Watkins is his brother, while junior forward Lance Ware is a former high school teammate. Current signee Aaron Bradshaw plays with Wagner at Camden High and on the EYBL circuit with the NJ Scholars.

With so many connections, Kentucky just made sense.

“It feels great. I’m definitely excited and I’m happy to finally be able to make a decision, come to a conclusion. I am definitely excited and I can’t wait,” Wagner told ESPN’s Paul Biancardi on Monday. “It’s a lot of thoughts going through my mind right now. But you know, I’ve just had, I was able to finally commit, and really just, I say, get it over with like, now it’s time to focus, you know, focus on high school and then after that focus on the next level, so I’m definitely excited. And I’m by now I’m happy but I’m, it’s a lot of emotions going through my mind right now.”

There are the clear ties at Kentucky, but that’s not the only school with connections to the Wagner family. DJ’s grandfather, Milt Wagner, was hired as a Director of Player Development at Louisville under Kenny Payne this offseason. That complicated things, certainly.

His family, though, vowed to let the 6-foot-3 guard make his own decision and do what was best for him. The hands-off approach helped guide him to Lexington.

“You know, it definitely was a hard decision for me, but my family it made it a lot easier for me,” Wagner said. “Just knowing that I had their support no matter what, no matter what school I went to, talking to both sides. They said they support me regardless. So just knowing that they have my back like that, it just made it a lot easier for me. It made me a lot more comfortable with my decision.

“My Pop-Pop, Grandpa Milt, he was one of the first people I told when I finally made the decision. I felt it was important to let him know that so he was definitely one of the first people I took and like I said, he just told me that I had his support 100%. He was happy with my decision no matter what.”

At the end of the day, he felt that Kentucky was home. It was a family atmosphere he wanted to be a part of.

“It’s like, Kentucky is like a family for me, you know?” Wagner said. “I have family that goes there. My brother, that’s like my blood brother. I grew up with him and he goes there. I have former teammates that went there like Lance Ware and then my teammate Aaron Bradshaw, he’s going there, as well. That definitely made me a lot more comfortable and confident in going there, just knowing I have people there around me I’m comfortable around.

“(Kareem), that’s my blood brother. I grew up with him, so going there is like going home again to me because I’m gonna be with him every day. I’ll be able to be with my brother every day. That definitely played a big factor.”

Wagner grew up around Calipari and the Kentucky basketball program thanks to his dad’s relationship with his former coach. He’s been to Big Blue Madness several times and has developed a real sense of familiarity with the facilities, coaches, players and the area in general. He has learned Coach Cal’s personality and humor — “sometimes he’s crazy and intense,” Wagner said, “(but also) a funny person (and) big jokester” — but more importantly just how much he cares for his players.

“When we talked, he would always say something like, he’s with me until the wheels fall off,” Wagner said. “He’s with me no matter what. No matter where I went, he was gonna support me and he was gonna be there to help me. That definitely stuck out to me a lot, just knowing that he has my back. He told me to just enjoy it, you only do it once.”

Calipari’s ability to talk to his players and break down plays, along with his passion and energy stood out to the standout guard. And the Kentucky assistants did their part, as well. “Those are my guys right there, they welcomed me in like family from the rip,” Wagner added. “Talking to them, it felt like I was in the family and they’ve got me no matter what.”

He also has a terrific relationship with Kentucky’s four other signees in Bradshaw, Justin Edwards, Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard. He believes all four pieces share a common goal of winning a national championship in Lexington, a major draw for him.

“They’re my boys right there! We definitely talked before this, I talked to them several times, and they were just supporting me saying if I come there, we’re going to have a great team and want to work together to win,” he said. “That made me comfortable, as well, knowing they’re buying in. I can’t wait, those are my guys right there.

“… I can’t wait, I’m excited. They’re gonna get a great team that wants to win. And I can’t wait. Hopefully we’ll chase that end goal, an NCAA championship. They remind me of Camden fans, how passionate they are. Here at Camden, they’re passionate and support us no matter what. They definitely remind me of home a lot. The fans go crazy out here.”

He’s not worried about being a one-and-done or the individual accolades when he gets to campus. His only goal is to win games and develop under a Hall of Fame coach, just like his dad did 20 years ago.

“I don’t really think about that (being a one-and-done). I’m just going to try to win, that’s the main goal,” he said. “I just want to win as much as possible and become the best player I can be and develop. The rest of that, that’s in God’s hands.

“… We’ve got a lot of work to do. We’re going to have to put in a lot of work. I feel like we’re all prepared, we’re all ready. We’re definitely excited.”