By SAM LANCE
INDIANAPOLIS — Class of 2025 five-star small forward Will Riley is eyeing visits to Kentucky and Alabama in June, he said in an exclusive interview with ZAGSBLOG.com.
Riley — the 6-foot-8, 180-pound forward from The Phelps School (PA) and the UPlay Canada Nike EYBL AAU program — had a very impressive weekend during the EYBL Indianapolis live period, averaging 25.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
On Friday to kick off the tournament against Team Durant, Riley poured in 42 points on 15-of-16 shooting from the field and 5-of-5 shooting from 3-point range. For the tournament, the forward shot a very efficient 69.1% from the field and made 9-of-15 attempts from deep.
Riley recently said he was focusing on five options: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Kentucky and the NBL. In Indianapolis, Riley confirmed that is still his top five. Here is his break down of each option:
Alabama: “I’ve been talking to basically the whole coaching staff. I’m trying to set up a visit soon.”
Kentucky: “I’ve been talking to the head coach. A little bit of the assistant. I’m trying to set up a visit with them. We’ve [Mark Pope and I] talked briefly, but he’s been talking to my manager a lot.”
Arizona: “I’ve been talking to them for a while. I’ve been on a visit with them. It was very fun, great coaching staff. I have a good relationship with Tommy [Lloyd]. He loves my family, I met his family. We’re pretty close.”
Arkansas: [John Calipari] reached out to me at Kentucky, but he transferred over to Arkansas, so I’ve kind of been talking to them for a while.”
NBL: “I’ve been on a Zoom call with them. We just talked briefly about the living style, and all of that. They’re a great program. They set up young guys who have potential and they send them to the league. So it’s good.”
Riley plans on taking the Alabama and Kentucky visits in June, but he does not have specific dates yet. When taking visits, Riley is looking for a school that matches his play style.
“I don’t want to be put in positions I’m like not used to,” Riley said. “I could always adjust to that, but it would just be better to get put in the right spots, the right scenarios. Also a coach that sees my potential and knows where I want to get to. I have goals in mind. I talk to them about my goals and hopefully they can help me get there.”
All the head coaches from the four schools on Riley’s final list traveled to Indianapolis to watch him in action.
The forward is ranked the No. 16 player in the class of 2025 by 247Sports and the No. 2 player in Pennsylvania. Riley describes himself as a versatile forward.
“I’m positionless and I can shoot, pass,” Riley said. “People underlook my passing a lot but I feel like I’ve worked on it enough to show I’m a pretty good passer. Often high-rated prospects can only just score. But I feel like I can make my team better. Communicating with them, passing to them, putting them in the right positions to succeed. I don’t just want myself to win, I want my whole team to win. I want my whole team to be in a great position.”
Riley’s parents both played sports in high school, as his dad ran track and his mom played hockey. The forward loves Manu Ginóbili’s game and his favorite NBA team is the Boston Celtics.
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