Kentucky Shouldn't Take Jaden McDaniels' Washington Commitment Personally
By Austin Pert
One of John Calapari's top recruiting targets will not be on his way to Lexington to play for the Kentucky Wildcats, instead opting to stay home and be a Washington Husky.
For 5-star recruit Jaden McDaniels, he'll be suiting up for his local school.
— Jmac (@Jmcdaniels7) May 22, 2019
McDaniels is ranked the No. 8 overall prospect in the nation and No. 1 power forward according to 247Sports. Kentucky was considered to be a leader in his recruitment, as they often are with blue-chip players regardless of region.
McDaniels visited UK on Nov. 9 with Calipari going to the Pacific Northwest a month later to see him again.
But, perhaps the Federal Way, Wash. native felt the limelight was simply too big at a spectacle-inducing place like Rupp Arena, and instead decided to make the 45-minute drive to Seattle rather than go to the school known for its one-and-done trend.
All I heard throughout Jaden McDaniels’ recruitment was how he doesn’t like attention, didn’t really want to play in a fishbowl like Kentucky. Gotta wonder how much it played into decision to choose Washington over UK. As John Calipari always says, “Kentucky isn’t for everyone.”
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) May 22, 2019
For Calipari, this can be considered a whiff on the recruiting trail. But, in spite of this setback, the Wildcats retain the top incoming freshmen class in the SEC, along with the No. 2 overall class nationally. It may sting to not get McDaniels, but in spite of losing a player who genuinely wanted to stay home, Kentucky will still be perfectly fine.