Kentucky basketball: Talented recruit on visit, decision coming Wednesday

Kentucky basketball is in the mix for another talented player in the Class of 2023. Jordan Burks is set to pick his school on Wednesday.

Kentucky basketball has had countless problems this offseason.

What shouldn’t get lost is their incoming recruiting class, which is already projected to be one of the best of all time. According to 247Sports, the Wildcats have the number one incoming class in the nation. All five of their commits are ranked inside the top 50, with four of them ranked 16th or better.

A late addition might make it six outstanding players.

Jordan Burks, regarded as a 3-star by 247Sports, is set to make a decision on Wednesday. Burks is one of the last players in the cycle who hasn’t committed. The Hillcrest Prep (Phoenix, AZ) small forward is considering Kentucky basketball, among other teams. A lone 247Sports prediction has Burks going to Ole Miss. He had originally committed there but recommitted after Chris Beard was announced as the new head coach.

Burks also holds offers from Florida, Xavier, Marquette, Texas Tech, Mississippi State, and DePaul, among others.

The interesting timing of Burks’ decision is that he took a visit to Lexington on Sunday. Without looking too deep into things, that could point to a positive, perhaps meaning Burks will have an extended visit for the long term with UK. He plans to commit at Noon on Wednesday.

Burks could provide scoring off the bench in year one

Burks should be seen as a depth piece – not a one-and-done. In fact, there’s a chance he could be a four-year player, at least based on his recruitment.

However, he shouldn’t be looked down upon. Burks led the Overtime Elite league in scoring last season at 27.1 points per game, averaging 23.0 PPG in the playoffs. He went up against projected lottery picks Ausar and Amen Thompson, and Kentucky recruit Rob Dillingham. It’s a legitimate league, so the fact that Burks was able to lead it in scoring should say a lot about his skillset and potential.

Scoring is exactly what Kentucky basketball needs. Losing nine scholarship players means the Wildcats are going to need all of the talents they can get, especially if Antonio Reeves also ends up transferring.

There’s also a lot of playing time up for grabs. At this point in the offseason, any players left to commit would be far-fetched to find any playing time at all on a top-25 team. But, that’s just not the case with Kentucky basketball. The Wildcats need more players, and valuable time should be up for grabs.

Burks might just be a freshman, but for a team searching for more players, he could be a good fit for 2023-24 and the future.