Kentucky’s recruiting momentum is getting another jolt this weekend, and this one came out of nowhere.
Cherif Millogo, a four-star big man, turned up at Keeneland on Friday for what is shaping up as a surprise official visit to Lexington. He joins a busy stretch for Kentucky basketball, which has already hosted or welcomed top prospects CJ Rosser, Paul Osaruyi, Demarcus Henry, and DJ Okoth, with more names still on the way.
Millogo is very much a player to watch for the Wildcats. According to a recent report from On3’s Joe Tipton, BYU, Texas, Creighton, and Kentucky are the programs viewed as the teams to beat in his recruitment.
The development has been quiet, but Kentucky has worked itself into the thick of the race for the top-40 prospect. Mark Pope and his staff first offered Millogo in May after seeing him at Adidas 3SSB, and interest has only grown since then.
Alabama, Arizona, Vandy, Georgia, USC, Syracuse, and TCU are among the other schools that have offered the 7-5 big man.
There’s also a bit of roster-race subtext here. Buzz between Kentucky and another major big man target, Lewis Uvwo, has cooled recently, and that could factor into how the Wildcats continue pursuing Millogo. Kentucky’s interest is clearly increasing, and this visit now carries real weight.
The timing could hardly be better for the Wildcats. It’s a major Keeneland weekend already, and plenty of fans are doing the double with Saturday night’s football game against LSU.
If Kentucky wants to leave an impression, the atmosphere should help. Millogo is also on the same weekend trip as five-star forward Benjamin Berrouet, who is making an official visit to Lexington as well.
Millogo currently plays alongside Yann Kamagate, one of the best high school basketball prospects regardless of class. Together, they’re widely regarded as one of the top big man duos in the country, and Kentucky recently sent staff to watch them at their high school.
For Kentucky, this is the kind of visit that can clarify where things stand fast. Whether the Wildcats can separate from the rest of the field for the 7-5 big man may start to take shape this weekend.
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