Quentin Grimes, the 6-foot-5, 195-pound point guard from College Park High School (TX), enjoyed his official visit to Kentucky this past weekend.
He had already visited Texas (Sept. 22) and still has trips to Kansas (Oct. 13) and Marquette (Oct. 20) after a USA Basketball mini-camp this weekend in Colorado Springs, Colo.
“He went to Kentucky,” Rhossi Carron, Grimes’ AAU program director with Basketball University, told ZAGSBLOG. “It went good, I think he really liked it. Basically, they just have so much credibility just because of the success they’ve had, not just with elite guys but with guys they feel can be one-and-done.
“They feel like he’s one of the best guards in the country, like one of the better NBA prospects in that class. They feel if he came in and got to improving, the opportunity to play against other guys that are just as talented in practice will take him to another level. They feel he has a chance to be one-and-done.”
Kentucky already has a point guard commit in Immanuel Quickley, but head coach John Calipari is never afraid to recruit — and play — multiple guards. Their current freshmen group includes Quade Green, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Hamidou Diallo.
“Yeah, they’ll play multiple guards,” Carron said. “I think Q’s ability to score the ball kind of separates him from some of those other guys. He can really shoot. He can handle the ball so he can play point guard. He can play off the ball. He can guard multiple positions.”
Grimes knew going in that Kentucky might have multiple guards coming in in this class.
“Yeah, Cal talked about the transition to the NBA and if gets three guards he’ll take them all and he just has to make them work,” Grimes said when he first cut his list. “So if he gets three guards, he’ll play three guards. The best players will play for sure.
“Coach Cal’s message is he gets players to the league,” Grimes added. “I’m definitely a player that can can done with that. Come in there and play alongside other five-star players, get better every day, development on and off the court. Can’t help but get better playing with other great players, all playing alongside each other and pushing each other. So I could go in there, be the primary ball-handler, overall have a good year with them and try to get them a national championship.”
Grimes averaged 21.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.3 assists at the Adidas Summer Championships last week with his AAU team, Basketball University. This weekend he’ll head to USA Basketball for a minicamp with more than 50 players, including Quickley and several other Kentucky targets like Bol Bol, Romeo Langford, Zion Williamson and Emmitt Williams. “He’s really looking forward to that, he’s been working really hard in preparation,” Carron said. “It’s a great opportunity. It’s loaded, it’s really all of the best guys.” As for a timetable on a decision, Caron said it will probably happen in the fall. “The family is not in a rush to make a decision, but I think after they take all four visits, I can’t see them taking it into 2018,” Carron said. “He’s had the in-home visits and I think he knows what each coach is looking for in him. So the visits is really just a chance to see the campus life, see the training environment, see the practices and how the coaches respond to the coaches, just seeing what’s the best fit for him overall.” Photo: Adidas Follow Sean on TwitterQuentin Grimes hit the gas on that drive ? @qdotgrimes #adidasNations pic.twitter.com/qd66UHSXVS
— Overtime (@overtime) August 7, 2017
