How five elite Kentucky men’s basketball recruits have performed on the Nike EYBL circuit

The field for Peach Jam 2023 is now set.

Following four sessions on the Nike EYBL circuit this spring in Atlanta, Phoenix, Dallas and Memphis, the best teams on the circuit have secured their spots at the prestigious season-ending Peach Jam event, which will take place July 3-9 in North Augusta, South Carolina.

The road to Peach Jam has been littered with standout individual performances on the Nike EYBL circuit, including by several top prep basketball players that are being recruited by Kentucky.

With all four sessions now complete, here’s a look at how five of Kentucky’s top recruits in the 2024 and 2025 classes fared this spring, and how their standout play could potentially translate to a college career in Lexington.

Darius Acuff Jr.

Team: The Family.

Stats: 20.1 points per game, 35.9% three-point shooting, 82.4% free-throw shooting.

Analysis: A class of 2025 point guard who is playing up an age group on the Nike EYBL circuit with The Family, Acuff is a score-first backcourt player with the ability to catch fire.

A 6-foot-1, 175-pound guard, Acuff has a smooth-looking shot from deep and rarely hesitates when presented with an open shot, which aids his elite shooting ability.

While there is room for Acuff to grow in areas like his dribble package and his ability to create separation at the point of attack, he needs precious little room to get off his shot.

Acuff isn’t yet ranked in the 247Sports system or in the 247Sports Composite, but he will be soon, and you can expect him to be near the top of class of 2025 players.

Recruitment latest: Kentucky extended an offer to Acuff in late April. Acuff is one of seven players in the class of 2025 to have a Kentucky scholarship offer.

In addition to UK, Acuff already holds several big-name scholarship offers from the likes of Indiana, Kansas and Michigan State, among others.

Current UK assistant coach Chin Coleman has been one of Acuff’s primary contacts in his Kentucky recruitment.

Acuff attends Cass Technical High School in Detroit.

Jasper Johnson

Team: Team Thad.

Stats: 12.3 points per game, 39.7% three-point shooting.

Analysis: Another class of 2025 guard who already holds a Kentucky scholarship offer, Johnson is also an in-state recruit for the Cats who has been ultra-impressive through two high school seasons at Woodford County.

Johnson is playing up an age level on the Nike EYBL circuit with Memphis-based Team Thad, and has been a big reason why Team Thad put together a 14-3 record this spring.

The 6-2, 165-pound combo guard may appear lanky, but he possesses tremendous bounce and appears to effortlessly glide when he moves across the court.

Currently ranked as a five-star prospect in the 2025 class by the 247Sports Composite, Johnson has advanced basketball IQ for his age and already shows strong instincts when it comes to facilitating the ball for teammates offensively and knowing where to be on defense.

Recruitment latest: Johnson’s recruitment has taken off in recent months, with a milestone moment being when Johnson landed a scholarship offer from Kentucky in early May.

Among the other brand-name colleges to have offered Johnson a scholarship are Cincinnati, Louisville, Memphis and Xavier.

But something those schools can’t offer Johnson is the distinct connection he has to Lexington.

In addition to living only a few minutes outside of the city, his father is former Kentucky football star Dennis Johnson, who is now the head football coach and athletic director at Woodford County.

Karter Knox

Team: Florida Rebels.

Stats: 21.2 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game, 34.2% three-point shooting.

Analysis: A class of 2024 star with family ties to Kentucky, Knox has been one of the top scorers on the Nike EYBL circuit this spring.

While he didn’t play in last weekend’s final Nike EYBL session in Memphis, Knox had already established himself as one of the preeminent scorers in the league.

Whether it’s his ability to go coast-to-coast with the basketball when turning defense into offense, or his ability to beat his individual defender and apply pressure at the rim, Knox’s versatility is a highlight of his game.

Additionally, the 6-5, 205-pound Knox has shown a knack for being able to score in a variety of situations, be it catch-and-shoot opportunities or when stepping into his shot.

Recruitment latest: Knox recently released a list of his final eight post-high school basketball pathways, and Kentucky made the cut.

Knox’s list of eight options included the following schools: Auburn, Arkansas, Florida State, Kentucky, LSU, Louisville and South Florida. Additionally, Knox is open to joining the NBA’s G-League Ignite program.

Knox’s older brother, Kevin, was a one-and-done player at Kentucky (and an eventual lottery pick in the NBA Draft) during the 2017-18 season, with John Calipari as UK’s head coach and current Louisville head coach Kenny Payne as UK’s associate head coach.

Another Knox brother, Kobe, spent two seasons (one as a redshirt) at Grand Canyon University in the WAC before entering the transfer portal this offseason and picking South Florida as his next school.

Knox was at Big Blue Madness in Lexington last fall, and he also took a visit to Louisville last October. His recruitment has been viewed as a battle between Kentucky and Louisville, and that remains the case.

Ahmad Nowell

Team: Team Final.

Stats: 13.7 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game, 4.8 assists per game, 40.7% three-point shooting, 83.9% free-throw shooting.

Analysis: A 6-1, 180-pound combo guard who was a high school teammate of Justin Edwards last season in Philadelphia, Nowell is now playing a starring role for Edwards’ former travel basketball program, Team Final.

A stocky and strong player, Nowell’s size may limit his court vision at times, but he holds other attributes that more than make up for his small stature.

Among these are the ball security he provides on most of Team Final’s possessions, as well as shooting ability that has made him one of the best from three-point range on the Nike EYBL circuit.

Following four sessions, Nowell is among the Nike EYBL leaders in both assists and steals per game (1.5). His defense was evident during the Herald-Leader’s in-person evaluation of Nowell during the Dallas session, when Nowell was assigned full-court defensive duties against North Carolina commit Elliot Cadeau.

“The fact that he doesn’t have a glaring weakness or hole in his game is probably what gets him on the floor at the next level right away,” Owen McCue, an assistant editor at the Philadelphia basketball-focused publication City of Basketball Love, told the Herald-Leader. “Particularly on the defensive end where he won’t be bullied by older guards.”

Nowell’s Team Final squad will enter Peach Jam as the hottest team on the Nike EYBL circuit, with a 16-1 record. Team Final last lost a game on April 22 during the opening Atlanta session.

Recruitment latest: Nowell, who is ranked as a four-star recruit by the 247Sports Composite, earned a Kentucky scholarship offer in late April.

That UK scholarship offer came after John Calipari and company had a front-row seat to his exploits both in Philadelphia and on the Nike EYBL circuit.

Tennessee is currently viewed as the leader in Nowell’s recruitment, and he took an official visit to Knoxville in late February. That trip to Tennessee remains his only official visit thus far.

Connecticut is another school that’s recently become involved in Nowell’s recruitment.

Billy Richmond

Team: NJ Scholars.

Stats: 18 points per game, 6.1 rebounds per game.

Analysis: A class of 2024 player with plenty of ties to both Kentucky and John Calipari, Richmond was a high school teammate last season with both Aaron Bradshaw and DJ Wagner at Camden (N.J.) High School.

But now, Richmond has stepped into his own major role with NJ Scholars, the same Nike EYBL team that both Bradshaw and Wagner also played for.

A rangy left-hander, Richmond is a four-star recruit according to the 247Sports Composite and was one of the top scorers on the Nike EYBL circuit this spring.

The 6-5 shooting guard (who can also play the “three”) has a strong motor and can get into a rhythm when shooting from the mid-range.

Recruitment latest: Just a few days ago, Richmond provided a recruiting update full of insight.

He told The Commercial Appeal in Memphis that he’s planning to visit Alabama, Kentucky, Louisville, Memphis and Miami, and that the current timeline for his college commitment is to do so before his senior season begins.

UK offered Richmond a scholarship late last year.

In addition to his ties to Kentucky via Camden, Richmond’s father, Billy Richmond Jr., played for Calipari at Memphis (where Richmond is originally from) about 20 years ago.

Kentucky fans already had a chance to catch a glimpse of Richmond in February, when Camden played a game at Kentucky State University in Frankfort.