For the first time since John Calipari’s first season in Lexington, Kenny Payne won’t be on the Kentucky bench as an assistant coach.
According to reports, Bruiser Flint will be replacing Payne in Lexington. A source close to the UK program confirmed to Go Big Blue Country Tuesday that Flint is for sure the replacement, but an official announcement won’t come until later this week (Wednesday-Friday).
With the loss of Payne, fans have expressed concern on social media platforms about Kentucky’s recruiting taking a step back with Payne no longer in Lexington. Here is why that won’t happen.
Kyle Tucker of The Athletic wrote a great piece on Payne’s departure and what it means for Kentucky basketball moving forward. Tucker also shared on social media that some of Kentucky’s most significant wins on the recruiting trail in recent years didn’t come from Payne, which is why fans should have confidence in assistants Tony Barbee and Joel Justus.
Tucker noted in his story that Payne had taken a step back in recruiting in recent years, with Barbee and Justus having more activity on that front for Calipari.
Barbee and Justus have been staples on the UK bench since the 2015-16 season, and both are responsible for big names playing at Kentucky.
Below is a list of players both assistant coaches were the lead recruiter for.
Justus: BJ Boston, Devin Askew, Immanuel Quickley, Keldon Johnson, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Bam Adebayo.
Barbee: Terrence Clarke, Tyrese Maxey, Keion Brooks, and Nick Richards.
While Payne was one of the top assistants in college basketball and Kentucky’s big man development will undoubtedly take a hit, Justus has developed a reputation as one of the top young assistant coaches in college basketball. I’d expect him to take on a more significant role on the recruiting trail for Kentucky moving forward.
Also, as long as John Calipari is walking through the front door with Kentucky gear on, Kentucky basketball recruiting will remain dominant on the recruiting trail.
