Kentucky is out for Deivon Smith, but it’s not all bad news
Is Kadary Richmond still in play?
The Kentucky Wildcats are officially out for Deivon Smith.
When Smith first entered the transfer portal, Kentucky was quick to make contact and set up a visit, and the buzz grew that Smith was Kentucky’s to lose. However, things fell through, and Smith is no longer considering Mark Pope’s bunch.
According to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, Smith has set a final three of St. John’s, Washington, and West Virginia.
Now, there’s actually some good news in this.
First, there was growing buzz that Louisville was pushing for Smith. I think we can all agree that having Smith fall through Kentucky’s fingers and into the waiting arms of the Cards would be a brutal gut punch, so that appears off the table.
But the real news here is that St. John’s is a finalist.
If you recall, the Johnnies are also in the mix for Seton Hall transfer Kadary Richmond, widely viewed as a top-10 transfer in this cycle. When Richmond first went portaling, St. John’s was viewed as the favorite.
The fact that Rick Pitino’s bunch is strongly in the mix for another point guard suggests that Richmond, who Kentucky has made contact with, is not a done deal for the Johnnies.
I also don’t think West Virginia is the choice, as they’re now the heavy favorites for Oklahoma State’s Javon Small and just got a prediction from Travis Branham to land the point guard. That potentially leaves this as a Washington – St. John’s battle for Smith, so root for Pitino there if you want to see Richmond land elsewhere.
Kentucky is now expected to land West Virginia guard Kerr Kriisa, but he’s probably more of a bench piece than a full-time point guard like Richmond would be. And I don’t think a potential commitment from Kriisa would prevent Richmond from coming to Kentucky.
Of course, this is all contingent on Kentucky even being a real threat to land Richmond, which isn’t clear at this time. Mark Pope and his staff have been great about not letting stuff leak out until the deal is done, so we’re still in wait-and-see mode when it comes to figuring out who Kentucky’s No. 1 point guard will be next season.
