Mark Pope and his assistants probably didn’t get much sleep over the weekend. With this being the first opportunity of the AAU season for college coaches to watch high school recruits in person, there were plenty of talented prospects to check out.
The Kentucky staff made stops in Indianapolis (Nike EYBL), Texas (adidas 3SSB), and Kansas (Puma PRO16) from Friday-Sunday. Pope and assistant coach Jason Hart started in Indy on Friday while assistants Cody Fueger and Alvin Brooks were in Bryan (TX) and Wichita (KS), respectively. Fueger stayed in Texas on Saturday while Brooks joined Pope and Hart in Indy. During the final set of games on Sunday, Fueger traveled to Indy to hold down the fort with Brooks while Pope and Hart went to Texas.
While KSR was only in attendance for the Nike EYBL session in Indianapolis, we’ve got people connected with both adidas and Puma. So, who were the Kentucky coaches watching over the last few days? Check out our rundown below. Keep in mind this is not a complete list of every Kentucky target, but it’s a massive group of names (nearly 30 from the 2025 and 2026 classes) that we know are being actively recruited by the Wildcats.
Will Riley’s 42-point night one performance was the best individual showing of the weekend. The 6-foot-9 wing has a smooth feel when he has the ball in his hands. He gets to his spots in the half-court and plays with excellent pace and footwork using his soft touch to score from multiple levels. Other than his 42-point outburst, he finished with games of 29, 19, and 13. Not only does Riley score in bunches, he scores in an efficient manner. He utilizes excellent footwork in the paint, with an array of up-and-unders and step-throughs. He can also finish at multiple levels, with touch around the rim, pull-up jumpers, and floaters.
