Kentucky basketball lands commitment from top-10 national prospect out of North Carolina

Kentucky men’s basketball has secured the commitment of one of the most sought after prospects in the 2024 recruiting class.

On Tuesday, class of 2024 center Jayden Quaintance pledged to join head coach John Calipari and the Wildcats.

Ranked by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 8 overall player and by the Recruiting Services Consensus Index (RSCI) — which combines the rankings from the nation’s top recruiting services into one single metric — as the No. 7 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class, Quaintance picked UK over one other finalist in his recruitment, Missouri.

The 6-foot-10 Quaintance is the fourth commitment in the 2024 recruiting class for Calipari and the Cats, joining guards Boogie Fland and Travis Perry and center Somto Cyril.

All four players have signed with Kentucky.

Quaintance, a consensus five-star prospect, took his official visit to Kentucky at the end of October, and was on hand for UK’s exhibition game against Georgetown College. That trip to Lexington was the final visit Quaintance took in his recruitment.

Originally from Ohio, Quaintance plays prep basketball at Word of God Christian Academy, which is based in Raleigh, North Carolina. If that school sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the same school that produced former UK one-and-done star John Wall.

But unlike Wall and despite his immense basketball potential, Quaintance isn’t able to be the next one-and-done star to emerge from Calipari’s program.

The 16-year-old Quaintance reclassified from the 2025 to the 2024 recruiting group over the summer, and because of his young age he won’t be eligible for the NBA draft until the 2026 edition.

This means Quaintance appears to be a two-year pickup, at least, for the Wildcats.

Quaintance possesses a distinct offensive skill set

During an October USA Basketball Junior National Team minicamp in Colorado, Quaintance spoke extensively to the Herald-Leader.

He discussed how he was keeping his recruitment limited to a small group of schools with the help of his father, Haminn, who himself played collegiately at Jacksonville and Kent State.

Kentucky’s courtship of Quaintance featured a scholarship offer that was extended to Quaintance in late June, while he was on an unofficial visit to Lexington.

“They’ve done it before. They’ve had so many top players, top bigs, their résumé is undeniable. So you’ve got to respect that and see what they have done,” Quaintance said of UK.

When Quaintance spoke to the Herald-Leader, it was just a few weeks before he took his official visit to UK. He said that the Wildcats’ playing style, and how he would fit into it, would be something he paid close attention to on the visit.

But Quaintance’s distinct skill set allows him to fit into a variety of on-court systems.

“Right now, I’m trying to work on my perimeter game a lot. Just showing what I can do on the perimeter, being more assertive outside, like outside-in instead of inside-out,” Quaintance said. “My shot consistency, it’s been coming along a little bit. ... But keep refining it, keep getting better and better at that. Those are my main things: My handle, I’ve got to refocus on my handle, get more control ...”

Quaintance’s ability has already shown on several top stages.

He averaged more than 17 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks per game for Word of God last season, as the school played as part of the Overtime Elite league. Earlier this year, Quaintance was part of the USA Basketball team that rolled to victory at the FIBA Men’s Under-16 Americas Championship.

He also had a standout grassroots season, mainly with Team Thad on the Nike EYBL circuit, where Quaintance was teammates with fellow Kentucky recruit and former Woodford County High School star Jasper Johnson.

Quaintance switched grassroots teams this summer though, and now plays for Team Loaded on the Adidas 3SSB circuit.

Even with his own recognized areas of potential improvement, Quaintance stands out as a consistent offensive threat as a rim-runner, shooter, lob-finisher and an offensive initiator.

His athleticism also allows for him to cover up any shortcomings on either end of the floor, and there’s a clear shot-blocking presence that Quaintance brings to the table.

“I want to make sure that my shot is more consistent,” Quaintance said when asked about the areas in which he wants to grow as a player in the coming months. “I want to be more assertive on the wing or outside the post and I want to make sure that my handle’s a little tighter so I can have more ways to be more assertive that way.”

UK now has four signees in 2024 class

Kentucky men’s basketball recruiting for the class of 2024 has kicked into high gear.

According to the RSCI, the Cats now have signed the players ranked No. 7 (Quaintance), No. 20 (Fland), No. 53 (Cyril) and No. 81 (Perry) in the 2024 recruiting group.

Kentucky now has the second-best team recruiting class for 2024, according to 247Sports. Only Duke’s class — which features five commits, including generational talent Cooper Flagg — ranks above UK’s.

And it’s a recruiting class that UK looks poised to grow as well.

During his Monday media availability ahead of UK’s game against No. 1 Kansas in the Champions Classic on Tuesday night in Chicago, Calipari again hinted at UK’s ongoing recruiting efforts.

“We got some other stuff in the works,” Calipari said, in part, when asked by the Herald-Leader about Cyril and Fland officially signing with UK.

The Wildcats are among the top four options for both wing Billy Richmond (whose father played for Calipari at Memphis) and small forward Karter Knox (whose older brother, Kevin, was a one-and-done star with the Wildcats).

Several recruiting experts have predicted that Richmond will commit to Kentucky.

UK is also still being considered by five-star shooting guard V.J. Edgecombe, who took an official visit to Kentucky on the same late October weekend as Quaintance.

What will elite center Jayden Quaintance bring to Kentucky after committing to the Wildcats?

After legendary career at Lyon County, Travis Perry will continue basketball dream at UK

Why did Travis Perry commit to Kentucky basketball? ‘That dream is always there.’

What does Travis Perry’s surprise commitment mean for UK? ‘He makes his teammates better.’

John Calipari talks Somto Cyril, Boogie Fland after 2024 recruits sign with UK basketball