Day two of the third Nike EYBL session — hosted in Indianapolis — of the 2024 season is officially in the books, and KSR had boots on the ground for all of it.
KSR’s Jack Pilgrim and Zack Geoghegan had all eyes on head coach Mark Pope and his two assistants, Alvin Brooks and Jason Hart, all day on Saturday. It was a busy one, too, with games beginning at 8:00 a.m. EST and the final set tipping off at 6:30 p.m. EST. There was plenty of talent to scout for the new Kentucky staff — KSR made sure to follow them around like lost puppies.
What did we learn? Find out below with our top takeaways. We’ll have plenty of interviews with the targets that UK coaches were watching in the coming days. But for now, here are our thoughts as we try to keep our eyes open on this (late) Saturday night.
Trey McKenney is on Kentucky’s radar
A new Kentucky target surfaced while we were going about our business.Five-star class of 2025 shooting guard Trey McKenney is officially on the Wildcats’ radar. He’s ranked No. 12 overall by the On3 Industry Ranking and checks in at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds.
“I’ve talked to Alvin Brooks,” McKenney told KSR. “This is recent, when he got to Kentucky.”
No offer has come in yet, but Brooks (who was in Kansas scouting on Friday) was in attendance to watch McKenney in action to close out Saturday’s action. McKenney said he knew the assistant coach would be in to see him play, too. And Brooks was treated to a show. McKenney and The Family snuck out a tight win over Mac Irvin Fire, 86-77, with McKenney going for 27 points and three rebounds on 9-13 shooting (2-4 3PT; 7-8 FT).
Along with UK, the likes of Michigan, Michigan State, UConn, Georgetown, Indiana, Ohio State, Southern California, and UCLA are also in the mix. Visits will come in the fall and winter. If Kentucky continues to recruit him, he’ll “for sure” take a visit to Lexington.
— Zack Geoghegan
Mark Pope and John Calipari are buddies (?)
Mark Pope has been in Indy since Friday, but John Calipari didn’t arrive until Saturday. What could have been an awkward interaction between current and former Kentucky head coaches turned out to be one of mutual respect. Pope and Calipari were chopping it up multiple times throughout Saturday’s games, and I was even able to capture this… strange?… picture of Calipari pretending to look down a scope and fire a pretend rifle.
I have absolutely zero idea what the context was here. I’m not sure I want to know (who am I kidding, we all want to know). But it was the funniest part of my day. So you can enjoy it too.
— Zack Geoghegan
John Wall dapped up Mark Pope
John Wall‘s career in the NBA might be done (although nothing is official), but he’s not done being around basketball. The former Kentucky star turned five-time All-Star was soaking in all of the action on Saturday. He doesn’t sponsor a team on the EYBL circuit (maybe he’s trying to — Team Wall, anyone?), but that didn’t stop him from checking out some high-profile basketball.
Jack and I were actually in the right place at the right time when Wall entered the building. He walked right past us and went straight toward Mark Pope and assistant coach Jason Hart. Pope and Wall exchanged pleasantries and chatted for a second before Wall went on his way. Pope is certainly doing a good job of trying to bridge the previous era with the new one.
— Zack Geoghegan
Tounde Yessoufou is a name to watch
Standing 6-6, 210 pounds, the physical wing out of Santa Maria, CA is an early favorite for Mark Pope and the Kentucky coaching staff. Yessoufou is a high-rising athlete with a humming motor, someone who fights on both ends with a growing jump shot. He pops with every viewing, now ranked fourth on the EYBL circuit in both scoring at 23.0 points and rebounding at 7.5 boards per contest.
With every steal-and-score, downhill drive and crafty finish, and-one basket and catch-and-shoot jumper, the rising senior has become a fan-favorite in early EYBL stops. And Pope is undoubtedly one of those fans, sitting courtside for every Team WhyNot game specifically to watch Yessoufou hoop. The top-25 prospect noticed, too, singling out the UK coaching staff first in an interview with KSR while adding that Kentucky has always been his dream school — even before coming over to the United States three years ago. A native of Benin in West Africa, he fell in love with basketball at 10 years old and saw Kentucky growing up on social media and when researching the sport, hoping to one day earn an offer from the Wildcats.
Pope has that opportunity, and it’s hard to imagine he doesn’t pull the trigger at some point soon. The mutual interest is significant.
— Jack Pilgrim
Boozer Twins hear from Pope and Kentucky
Things were… weird with 2025 five-star talents Cameron and Cayden Boozer during EYBL Session I in Memphis a few weeks back, shortly following Pope’s move to Lexington. It was early for Kentucky’s new head coach, fighting to assemble a competitive roster in short order with high school recruiting on the back burner. A few kids loosely spoke with the UK staff, but very few beyond surface-level conversations. The Boozers were among many who hadn’t heard from the Wildcats at all — and didn’t necessarily give off the vibe they cared to hear from them.
Cameron was rather blunt, saying he knew “nothing” about the new staff while adding “it’s a completely different program” with Pope there and “a big part of all their success recently and the players they’ve gotten is because of Coach Cal.”
“If (Kentucky) were to reach out, it would be a whole different recruiting process,” he said at the time.
The prized twin brothers have since changed their tune on Kentucky under Pope ever so slightly, saying the Wildcats “might get in there a little bit” among schools making a real push for them.
“Kentucky has some of the best facilities I’ve seen,” Cameron told KSR. “I haven’t seen much of their play style, but I’m sure he’s a great coach and we’ll see where that goes. It’s still a whole new recruiting process and I haven’t really spoken to him, so I’m not sure what he’s about yet or his style and what he runs. It’s still a whole new process.”
Baby steps, folks. Baby steps.
— Jack Pilgrim
Jasper Johnson throws down the poster slam
It’s been a successful weekend for Lexington’s own Jasper Johnson, another early priority for Pope and the Wildcats. The staff has been courtside for every one of his games to open the live period, including the last one to close out the day Saturday where the five-star guard threw down the nastiest dunk of the weekend.
It doesn’t get much filthier than the lefty punch he put on a poor defender in Indianapolis.
He’s averaging 17.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest through three EYBL sessions, separating himself as one of the best guards in high school basketball, regardless of class.
And the hometown Cats are in a solid spot to land his commitment when that day comes down the road.
— Jack Pilgrim
The post KSR’s takeaways from day two of the Indianapolis Nike EYBL session appeared first on On3.