Mark Pope’s Kentucky Wildcats may have landed their best recruit ever in the form of five-star Ryan Hampton. He will join Milan Momcilovic and Malachi Moreno as Pope’s roster has noted a tremendous turnaround this offseason.
There’s a good hype in Lexington about this recruiting win for Kentucky. And why not as Hampton is a top-10 overall recruit in the class of 2027. He visited Kentucky over the weekend and shortly after announced his commitment.
Analyst Lance Dawe shared his scouting notes on Hampton as he debated whether Hampton is Pope’s best recruit ever. He noted some major flaws in Hampton’s playing style, which the five-star will need to address this summer.
“The bad here to me about Hampton is that he’s got a little bit of a loose handle,” Dawe said. “He is inconsistent with the ball in his hands. I think he, in terms of shooting form, holds the ball a little bit too far out. I think he needs to speed up his shot. It’s a flowy form. It’s kind of pretty at times. Does it really matter that he shoots it the way that he does if the ball goes in the hole? Not necessarily. He needs a little bit more rotation on his shot consistently, I would say, too.
Dawe also mentioned that Hampton will need to add some muscle mass.
“He needs to add weight, excuse me, in my opinion,” Dawe added. “I know that he’s already 190. Some recruiting services had him listed at 175. If he’s up to 190, he needs to get up to 200 to 210. He needs to be stronger. Stronger, I guess, is maybe the better word instead of heavier. He just needs to simply be stronger.”
Why Ryan Hampton Chose Kentucky
Ryan Hampton also shared the reason behind choosing the Wildcats over other notable programs. The Daytona Beach native spoke highly about head coach Mark Pope and new assistant coach Mo Williams.
“I chose Kentucky because of Coach Pope and Coach Williams. They showed me a vision and a plan for me to reach my ultimate dreams and goals. They will challenge me to be the best I can be on and off the court,” Hampton told Rivals.
Former NBA star Williams’ ties with Hampton’s father made the decision easier for him.
“Let’s be honest, Coach Williams closed the deal. He’s been a friend of my dad for a long time, so my family has trust in him,” Hampton said.
It seems Williams’ addition to the coaching staff is doing wonders for the Wildcats this offseason.
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