Big Blue Madness is the biggest basketball event of the year for Kentucky. There isn't a preseason practice and festival like it at any program in the nation. It sold out in 24 minutes this year, and it has been known in the past to have lines of people camping out the night before to get in. The event also serves as a great recruiting tool and an opportunity for the top high school players to see the greatest venue, program, and fans in all of college basketball.
This weekend, a major event is happening in Colorado Springs: the USA Basketball Junior National Team October Minicamp. It even brings in many NBA Scouts and top recruits from around the country.
For the 2025 recruiting class, Kentucky will have five players that they are either targetting or have already committed at the USA Basketball Minicamp: Nate Ament, Mikel Brown Jr., Chris Cenac Jr., Jasper Johnson, and Malachi Moreno.
Kentucky is set to host Big Blue Madness on October 11th.
— Jacob Polacheck (@PolacheckKSR) September 17, 2024
Many of Kentucky's top targets in 2025, 2026, and 2027 will be in Colorado Springs that weekend. https://t.co/0VllB71Lpu
You can bet that Johnson and Moreno will be working to recruit the other three to join them at Kentucky while they compete together this weekend. However, that leaves a few top targets for the Wildcats and Head Coach Mark Pope available. Who is going to come? Much of this will be shrouded in secrecy, and we won't know all the recruits there until the night of, but there are at least two major recruits coming to Big Blue Madness.
The first is top point guard target, Acaden Lewis.
Top-25 ‘25 @SidwellMBB/@teamdurant_AAU PG Acaden Lewis tells me that he’ll take his official visit to Kentucky this Thursday through Saturday. He’ll be in attendance for Big Blue Madness.
— Colby Giacubeno (@ColbyGHoops) October 7, 2024
👤: https://t.co/qibYEgsGVp pic.twitter.com/Ropmo8jtbi
Lewis is friends with Caleb Wilson, who is also a top priority for this class, and they have said they want to play together. Wilson has used his official visit but I wouldn't be surprised to see him turn up at Big Blue Madness since he isn't at the USA Basketball minicamp. However, nothing is known about his weekend.
Lewis started his official visit today, and things are starting to indicate he may choose the Wildcats sooner rather than later. Some rumors are even circling that it could be this weekend at Big Blue Madness (though this is all just fan speculation at this point).
4 ⭐️ CG Acaden Lewis is currently on his official visit at Kentucky, getting a workout in.
— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) October 10, 2024
He will be in attendance for Big Blue Madness tomorrow, which is also his birthday.
UK looks to be the front runner as he is expected to make his decision by early November.
🎥: Jarett… pic.twitter.com/ld4mVAf57X
The other known visitor for Big Blue Madness is 2026 target Anthony Thompson.
2026 5⭐️ Anthony Thompson (@ant_thompson26) tells me he will be attending Kentucky’s Big Blue Madness.
— HS Top Recruits (@HSTopRecruiting) October 10, 2024
📸:@GregStein02 pic.twitter.com/ibDQT2Baxq
These are the two known visitors for Big Blue Madness as of now. There will certainly be more there for 2025 and beyond, and as soon as more are publicly known, this page will be updated.