John Calipari checks in with Jonathan Kuminga – again

By ADAM ZAGORIA

Kentucky coach John Calipari is certainly letting Jonathan Kuminga know he wants him.

Calipari was in to see the 6-foot-8 Kuminga on Wednesday at the Patrick School in Hillside (N.J.) Kuminga is ranked No. 1 overall in the Class of 2021 by 247Sports.com.

“Everybody’s still recruiting me,” Kuminga told me recently after putting up 19 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists as the Patrick School beat rival Roselle Catholic, 68-57, in a Fall League game. “I’m just going to wait until I make the right decision, I don’t know when.”

Kentucky coach John Calipari spoke with 2021 @JonathanKuming6 before open gym workouts at @tps_hsbb , per source. He watched the beginning of workouts and then left after.

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) October 30, 2019

Calipari has pulled Nick Richards, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Dakari Johnson from St. Patrick/The Patrick School, while also landing other top New Jersey talent, including Kahlil Whitney, Isaiah Briscoe and Dajuan Wagner.

Here’s a little @JonathanKuming6 scoring in an open gym with John Calipari and Kenny Payne here pic.twitter.com/cHLxt2XK6O

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) September 16, 2019

Kuminga, who turned 17 on Oct. 6, is currently in the Class of 2021 although he has the option of reclassifying to 2020. He dominates high school opponents so much now, it’s hard to imagine he would even be challenged by another year of high school next year.

Here’s my interview with @JonathanKuming6 of @tps_hsbb via @freshfocusports with some highlights. @KentuckyMBB @DukeMBB and @AuburnMBB among those involved for the No. 1 player in 2021 https://t.co/1RzGWWgxTp… https://t.co/8NEIsKxfdm

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) October 14, 2019

Still, he hasn’t put into motion any plans to reclass as of yet.

“He hasn’t given an inclination,” said Patrick school coach Chris Chavannes, whose team is favored to win the New Jersey Tournament of Champions title after adding Kuminga and 6-10 forward Adama Sanogo. “He’s got the pressure of whether to reclass up and all this other stuff and he just wants to be a kid every day. That’s all he wants. He’s just taking it one day at a time.”

Kuminga is currently projected as the No. 6 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, per ESPN.com. He would be eligible for that draft because he turns 19 that year.

It’s also possible he could enter the 2022 NBA Draft if he opted to wait until then.

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