KSR's top takeaways from day two at the Nike EYBL Live Period

Two down, one to go in Memphis at Nike EYBL Session II. Day one was about getting the lay of the land and fighting through the chaos of hundreds of college coaches roaming the baselines, playing musical chairs with their logos prominently displayed in hopes of being noticed by their top high school targets. Day two was busier, but more of a controlled chaos, with attendees getting their schedules down and knowing exactly who to watch from morning to night. You embrace the marathon that comes with a 9:30 a.m. CT game set to open the day and an 8 p.m. CT final game set to wrap things up.

What were the major takeaways from Mark Pope, Mo Williams and Cody Fueger in attendance for the Kentucky Wildcats? KSR has you covered as we put a bow on day two.

Early priorities emerge for the Wildcats

You follow the coaches around on day one, obviously, but each team only plays a single game. Games started at 12:30 p.m. CT on Friday, and everybody was out of the building by dinner. Saturday, rather, is an early start and late finish with two games apiece. Factor that in with the first day, and it became clear by the time we walked out of the building who Pope’s top targets are at this stage of the AAU season.

The obvious one? 2027 No. 1 overall CJ Rosser, who recently went fishing with Pope and Mikhail McLean, along with an unofficial visit to Lexington this past season. The Wildcats have been relentless there, as expected, showing up at least two deep for every one of the five-star big man’s games — if not three — with Pope, Mo Williams, and even Cody Fueger, on occasion, keeping a close eye on his play.

Elsewhere, the story has been the same with ’27 No. 10 prospect DeMarcus Henry, who received a Kentucky offer Friday, followed by a North Carolina offer on Saturday. The Wildcats have been front and center with at least two coaches at every game, always with Pope.

A sneaky addition to that list? 2028 five-star center Erick Dampier Jr., currently ranked No. 5 in the rising junior class. Pope was there on day one, then followed up with more attention on day two. When asked about coaches, he noticed sitting courtside to open the first live period, the 6-9 big man quickly singled out Kentucky as an early school making its interest known.

Jack Pilgrim

King Gibson Could Be in No. 1 Conversations

There’s uncertainty at the top of the 2027 class. I wrote about that on Friday night’s takeaways, and I’m not trying to rehash it here. Instead, I want to make the case that five-star combo guard King Gibson deserves to be in the conversation for No. 1 player in the class.

There’s a clear dilemma in the 2027 class. How much do you value current production with NBA potential? Players like C.J. Rosser and Marcus Spears Jr. have the size and length to be future NBA stars, but their games aren’t truly polished yet. However, with the current stars of the league, a player like King Gibson could be overlooked, which is saying a lot for the No. 2 player in the 2027 rankings.

Gibson is a 6-foot-4 combo guard who looked every bit the part of the top guard in the class on Saturday. He doesn’t have an offer from Kentucky, but with UK watching basically all of his games over the weekend, an offer would surprise no one, especially not Gibson himself.

Jacob Polacheck

Adan Diggs Could Be Even Better

Okay, so I just made the case why King Gibson could be the No. 1 player in the class. However, I’ll change that case to Adan Diggs if he ends up moving into the 2027 class.

Rivals rank Diggs as the No. 1 player in the 2028 class, and a reclassification into 2027 has been highly rumored for some time. If Diggs makes the move, there will be some conversations.

Diggs, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, puts the ball on a string, but also has the shot-making to force defenders into tough decisions. His athleticism is also surprising for a player of his size. It’s early, but if Diggs makes the move into 2027, there’s a legit case that he can be the No. 1 pick in the 2028 NBA Draft.

Jacob Polacheck

Not giving up on Kager Knueppel

Yes, you know that last name for a reason. No, it’s not necessarily good news for Kentucky. The four-star forward is the younger brother of former Duke star and current Charlotte Hornet Kon Knueppel, and the ongoing assumption is that he will ultimately follow in those footsteps as a Blue Devil. Other coaches in the gym, however, pushed back on that narrative on Saturday, saying he’s more open than people realize.

Kentucky has been at multiple Team Herro games — also to see teammate Deuce McDuffie, but specifically for Knueppel, as well — led by Fueger. The standout shooter told KSR that the Wildcat assistant, who is also from Wisconsin, is in regular contact and he’d like to receive an offer from UK.

It’s probably safe to call Duke the likely choice until proven otherwise for a kid who was regularly on campus when his brother played there, but it’s certainly notable that others are giving it a shot. Kentucky is included in that list.

Jack Pilgrim

Lewis Uvwo is a name to know

Currently ranked No. 46 in the class and No. 6 among power forwards by Rivals — he’s actually No. 145 overall and No. 22 at his position in the Industry Ranking — be prepared to hear a whole lot of Lewis Uvwo in the coming months. Standing 6-10, 225 pounds, he’s an immediate eye-catcher with his energy and intensity, but nothing is more impressive than his shot-blocking dominance as the best rim protector in the country. Anything tossed his direction is either being swatted into the stands or altered.

After going for 14 points, seven rebounds and seven blocks on day one, he added another combined 12 points, 12 rebounds and 13 blocks in two games on day two — five-plus blocks in all three games in Memphis.

If you’re looking for a game-changing defensive talent in the class, Uvwo is your guy.

Jack Pilgrim

It’s Clear Why Kentucky Offered Demarcus Henry

Ask anyone in the gym on Saturday about who their standouts were, and you’re bound to hear the name, Demarcus Henry. It’s hard to say a player came out of nowhere when Henry was already ranked as the No. 10 overall player in the Rivals Industry Ranking, but that ranking is still too low.

Henry is a top-five player in the 2027 class, in my opinion. Honestly, I wouldn’t argue with someone making the case for him at No. 1. I’m not quite ready to go that far, but his two-way game was a key reason for Kentucky extending an offer over the weekend. The lefty guard is efficient and is improving at a rapid pace. I’m saying he’s top five in the class, and if you say he’s higher, I could get behind that.

Jacob Polacheck