Kentucky Basketball 2023 Signees Excel at Hoophall Classic

Four of Kentucky basketball's five members of the 2023 class were in action at the birthplace of basketball over the weekend.

Kentucky basketball will welcome its seventh No. 1 class under coach John Calipari in 2023. 

Five superstar-level recruits — DJ Wagner, Justin Edwards, Aaron Bradshaw, Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard — will enter Rupp Arena next season under high expectations. Over the weekend, Big Blue Nation had an opportunity to check out four of the five signees in action at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. 

All but Dillingham were in attendance, partaking in the highest level of high school hoops around the nation. The event obviously had the attention of UK, as Calipari and assistants Orlando Antigua and Chin Coleman flew straight from Kentucky's stunning win over Tennessee last Saturday in Knoxville to Springfield to catch some future Wildcats in action. 

First up on Saturday night was Wagner and Bradshaw, as Camden High School (N.J.) took on Centennial (Calif.), ultimately falling 66-62. It was no fault of either 5-stars, however. 

Wagner, the No. 1 player in the ESPN 100 and No. 6 player in the On3 Consensus, racked up 27 points and six rebounds. 

DJ Wagner’s 27 vs. Centennial pic.twitter.com/SduZELHeGi

— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) January 15, 2023

The combo guard was helped out by the center Bradshaw, who totaled 15 points and eight boards. Bradshaw is considered the No. 1 player in the class by On3 and is No. 3 in the consensus, which compiles the rankings of all four major recruiting sites. 

Calipari and Co. returned the next morning to catch Sheppard and North Laurel High School (Ky.) go toe-to-toe with Mount Saint Joseph (Md.). The 4-star Bluegrass native didn't disappoint, nearly compiling a triple-double with 13 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists. The Jaguars fell in a close 54-48 defeat, but the combo guard was tabbed as the MVP of the game. 

While the London, Ky. phenom is easily the lowest rated member of UK's incoming class (No. 31 On3 Consensus), he'll carry his weight upon heading to Lexington, while also dealing with the pressure that will come for the homegrown product to succeed. 

The final future Cat to take the floor was 5-star small forward Justin Edwards, as he and Imhotep Institute (Pa,) took on former Kentucky target and now UNC commit, 2024 5-star shooting guard Ian Jackson and Cardinal Hayes High (N.Y.). 

Edwards would dominate, putting up a stat-line of 25 points, 12 rebounds, six steals and four assists, as Imhotep took home a 62-59 victory. Like Sheppard, Edwards (No.5 On3 Consensus) was named the MVP of his game. 

Big time performance from Justin Edwards 👏⭐️ pic.twitter.com/bNXXpgnEN2

— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) January 16, 2023

The future is bright for Kentucky's 2023 class. 

More on Ian Jackson's commitment to North Carolina HERE. 

More on how a players-only meeting shifted Kentucky's momentum HERE.

John Calipari found vindication in Kentucky's victory over the Volunteers. More HERE.

Game notes from the win can be found HERE.

Hear what Antonio Reeves and Jacob Toppin had to say about the win HERE.

Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.

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