Elite international recruit is visiting Kentucky. What to know about Khaman Maluach.

While the on-court product for the Kentucky basketball team has been sorely lacking at home this season, recruiting efforts have continued for head coach John Calipari’s program in Lexington and at Rupp Arena.

And this week will be no different.

UK will be hosting a top prospect on an official visit this week for the third straight home game, with 7-foot-2 center Khaman Maluach set to be in town for a visit that will include Tuesday night’s home game against Ole Miss.

Maluach, listed at 7-foot-2 and 238 pounds, was born in South Sudan and rose to basketball prominence at the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal. He’s long been on the radar of several blue blood programs, including Kentucky, although a scholarship offer from the Wildcats to Maluach hasn’t yet been reported.

Maluach took an official visit to Duke in January and has several more trips lined up for this month. He took at trip to Kansas last weekend for the Jayhawks’ home win over Baylor. Later this month, Maluach is expected to visit both the NBA’s professional G League Ignite program, as well as UCLA.

While the center prospect doesn’t yet hold a recruiting ranking from most national services, he’s expected to be a five-star prospect once those are unveiled. In somewhat similar fashion to current UK center Zvonimir Ivisic, Maluach is viewed as an inside-out big with the ability make shots from beyond the 3-point line. Maluach’s bread-and-butter, though, is being an effective post player on both ends of the floor, thanks to his significant wingspan (7-foot-6) and overall size.

The 17-year-old Maluach, who reclassified to the 2024 recruiting group in the fall, is also eligible for the 2025 NBA draft.

He already boasts top-level international basketball experience, having played with the South Sudan national team at the FIBA World Cup last year. Maluach played in four games at the event, averaging a little more than 10 minutes and almost four rebounds per contest.

Kentucky’s 2024 recruiting class already features four signees, and five commits overall. This group includes a pair of centers: Somto Cyril and Jayden Quaintance.

Cyril was UK’s first commitment for Calipari in the 2024 class, and Quaintance is viewed as a two-year pickup for the Cats since he is not eligible for the NBA draft until the 2026 edition.

Cyril, a 6-foot-10 prospect, is projected to be a more traditional post presence who possesses strength and a strong rebounding acumen. He recently returned to play at the Atlanta-based Overtime Elite program following a left hand injury that sidelined him for about two months.

Quaintance, a 6-foot-9 prospect, is viewed as an ultra-skilled big with the ability to put the ball on the floor as part of his impressive inside-out game.

“I’m trying to work on my perimeter game a lot. Just showing what I can do on the perimeter, being more assertive outside, like outside-in instead of inside-out,” Quaintance told the Herald-Leader last fall. “My shot consistency, it’s been coming along a little bit … But keep refining it, keep getting better and better at that. Those are my main things: My handle, I’ve got to refocus on my handle, get more control.”

UK’s 2024 recruiting class currently ranks as the second-best crop of incoming freshman talent in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite team recruiting rankings.

Khaman Maluach would add to list of Kentucky’s international players

Twenty players born outside the United States have played in a game for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Six of those players came in the pre-Calipari era, and 14 have arrived since Calipari became UK’s head coach in spring 2009.

These numbers will grow to 21 international players overall and 15 under Calipari’s watch when Cyril (who was born in Nigeria) makes his college basketball debut later this year.

Here’s a quick refresher of all the international players to have worn “KENTUCKY” across the front of their jersey:

▪ Australia: Isaac Humphries (2015-17).

▪ Canada: Jamaal Magloire (1996-2000), Bernard Cote (2002-04), Sheray Thomas (2003-07), Trey Lyles (2014-15), Jamal Murray (2015-16), Mychal Mulder (2015-17), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2017-18).

▪ Democratic Republic of the Congo: Oscar Tshiebwe (2021-23).

▪ Croatia: Zvonimir Ivisic (2023-present).

▪ Dominican Republic: Eloy Vargas (2010-12).

▪ England: Morakinyo Williams (2007-08).

▪ France: Olivier Sarr (2020-21).

▪ Haiti: Skal Labissiere (2015-16).

▪ Jamaica: Nick Richards (2017-2020).

▪ New Zealand: Tai Wynyard (2016-18).

▪ Nigeria: Ugonna Onyenso (2022-present), Somto Cyril (2024 signee).

▪ Poland: Lukasz Obrzut (2003-07).

▪ Senegal: Souleymane “Jules” Camara (1998-2003).

▪ Sudan: Wenyen Gabriel (2016-18).

Note: At least two additional international players spent time on Kentucky’s roster but never appeared in a game: Enes Kanter (2010-11) was born in Switzerland and represented Turkey in international basketball. Shaedon Sharpe (2021-22) was born in Canada.

UK basketball has been losing in front of big-name recruits

With Maluach set to be on hand for Kentucky’s Tuesday home game against Ole Miss, the Wildcats have a chance to not only snap a historic three-game losing streak at Rupp Arena, but also to return to winning ways in front of recruits in town for official visits.

Kentucky’s home loss to Tennessee on Feb. 3 came with class of 2025 combo guard Meleek Thomas in attendance as part of his official visit to Lexington.

UK’s home loss on Saturday to Gonzaga came with another big-time recruit on his official visit: Hometown class of 2025 combo guard Jasper Johnson was the guest of honor for Kentucky over the weekend.

Class of 2024 small forward Karter Knox was in town for a win over Georgia in January.

NEXT GAME

Mississippi at No. 22 Kentucky

When: 9 p.m. Tuesday

TV: ESPN

Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1

Records: Mississippi 18-5 (5-5 SEC), Kentucky 16-7 (6-4)

Series: Kentucky leads 110-14

Last meeting: Kentucky won 75-66 on Jan. 21, 2023, in Oxford, Mississippi

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