What to know: Future Kentucky men’s basketball players in game in Frankfort Friday night

Cameron Drummond
·4 min read

For the second time in recent months, out-of-state players that are part of Kentucky basketball’s 2023 recruiting class will be playing in the commonwealth, providing UK fans with a chance to watch them before they arrive in Lexington.

In December, five-star small forward Justin Edwards battled in-state recruit Reed Sheppard in Louisville.

Now to start February, it will be Aaron Bradshaw and DJ Wagner playing in Frankfort.

Bradshaw and Wagner’s Camden High School (New Jersey) team will be facing off against Combine Academy (North Carolina) in the final game of a Friday night tripleheader in Frankfort at the William Exum Center, the home gym for the Kentucky State University men’s and women’s basketball teams.

This main event is set for an 8 p.m. start, with a girls’ and boys’ varsity doubleheader featuring Frankfort High School and Franklin County High School to come before at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

The entire event is being promoted as The Kentucky Preview.

Friday’s game is the latest showcase event Camden will play in this season.

The Bradshaw and Wagner duo — along with the name-brand recruiting attention they carry — have played with Camden at the John Wall Holiday Invitational (North Carolina) and the Hoophall Classic (Massachusetts) already this season, in addition to standalone games in Miami, Chicago and Philadelphia against some of the nation’s best teams and recruits.

Now, the next stop is Frankfort.

Bradshaw and Wagner became the latest players from the Tri-State Area to commit to and sign with Kentucky late last year.

Bradshaw committed to UK in October, on the night of Big Blue Madness. Wagner followed suit a few weeks later, bringing an end to a high-profile recruiting battle between Kentucky and Louisville that never amounted to an official visit to the Cardinals.

The two players are part of Kentucky’s top-ranked 2023 recruiting class, which also features Edwards, Sheppard and Robert Dillingham, a five-star point guard who is spending his senior season with the Overtime Elite league in Atlanta.

“We’re excited about this group,” UK assistant coach Chin Coleman said last month about UK’s 2023 signing class. “It’s a very special group. They’re connected, they all communicate. We’re all on a text thread and so it’s funny how connected they are already, so that’s a good thing.”

DJ Wagner leads his Camden, N.J., high school team into The Kentucky Preview at Frankfort on Saturday night along with fellow UK signee Aaron Bradshaw.
DJ Wagner leads his Camden, N.J., high school team into The Kentucky Preview at Frankfort on Saturday night along with fellow UK signee Aaron Bradshaw.

Beyond UK signees, Friday’s game to feature recruits with local ties

Even beyond the name-brand interest that comes with Bradshaw and Wagner playing a high school game in Kentucky, there will be other players of interest in the game for college basketball fans across Kentucky.

Camden junior shooting guard Billy Richmond recently earned a UK scholarship offer, and Combine Academy junior small forward Trentyn Flowers has an offer from both UK and U of L, although only Louisville is in his final list of schools under consideration.

Flowers may be a test case in recruiting for Louisville head coach Kenny Payne, who is currently overseeing a program that is 3-19 in his debut season.

Kentucky signee Aaron Bradshaw and his Camden, N.J., high school team bring an 18-2 record into Friday night’s contest in Frankfort against Combine Academy of North Carolina .
Kentucky signee Aaron Bradshaw and his Camden, N.J., high school team bring an 18-2 record into Friday night’s contest in Frankfort against Combine Academy of North Carolina .

Friday

What: High school basketball tripleheader that’s being billed as The Kentucky Preview.

Games and times:

5 p.m. — Girls: Frankfort vs. Franklin County

6:30 p.m. — Boys: Frankfort vs. Franklin County

8 p.m. — Boys: Camden (New Jersey) vs. Combine Academy (North Carolina)

Where: William Exum Center (101 University Drive, Frankfort, Kentucky, 40601). It is the home arena for the Kentucky State University men’s and women’s basketball teams with a capacity of 2,750.

Cost: $20 per ticket. Tickets to be sold at the door.

What to know: Camden (New Jersey) boasts a pair of 2023 signees for the Kentucky men’s basketball team: Guard DJ Wagner and center Aaron Bradshaw. Both players are among the top college basketball recruits in the 2023 high school class.

Camden also features four-star shooting guard Billy Richmond, who recently earned a 2024 Kentucky scholarship offer. Richmond’s father played for John Calipari at Memphis two decades ago.

Combine Academy (North Carolina) — which describes itself as an international boarding school and professional sports performance center — has quickly become a regional and national hoops powerhouse.

Class of 2023 point guard Silas Demary Jr. (a USC signee), class of 2024 small forward Trentyn Flowers and class of 2024 shooting guard Rakease Passmore are Combine Academy’s top players.

Flowers holds scholarship offers from both Kentucky and Louisville. Flowers took an official visit to Louisville in October.

The Frankfort and Franklin County girls’ teams have already played each other this season. Franklin County won, 63-19, on Jan. 20.

Franklin County is among the best girls’ teams in the 11th Region and reached the quarterfinals of the Sweet 16 last season.

The Frankfort and Franklin County boys’ teams have also already played each other this season. Franklin County won, 70-37, on Jan. 20.