Kentucky basketball recruiting: Cats still pursuing Amier Ali, Tre Johnson in 2024 class

Kentucky men’s basketball is still assembling its roster for next season, but the UK program is also continuing its pursuit of several top basketball players in the class of 2024.

Currently, the cupboard is bare for UK: The Wildcats have no commitments from the 2024 class, which tracks with John Calipari’s pattern of waiting until late in a recruiting cycle to swoop in and land players.

But that trend has changed with this class, as the Wildcats have offered scholarships to 12 players, nine of whom are yet to make a post-prep school playing commitment.

Of those nine, small forward Amier Ali and shooting guard Tre Johnson have continued to be courted by Kentucky, and the Wildcats still hold a prominent place in both players’ college recruitment with the grassroots basketball season on the horizon.

Something else of note?

Both players play for the same travel basketball program, Houston Hoops (Nike EYBL), which counts ex-Cats De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Maxey among its alumni.

Last week, both Ali and Johnson were named first-team selections in their age group at The Duel in DFW event in north Texas.

Amier Ali talking to UK, set to trim list soon

A 6-8, 175-pound small forward who plays at IMG Academy in Florida, Ali is ranked as a four-star recruit and the No. 29 player overall in the 2024 class by the 247Sports Composite.

Ali’s length is evident on both ends of the court, and he also possesses the ability to make shots from distance.

Ali told 247Sports he has an official visit scheduled with Ohio State in early May, and that he’s also interested in visiting two SEC schools: Arkansas and Kentucky.

Previous recruiting action for Ali included an official visit to Florida State and unofficial visits to Ohio State and Texas.

During his discussion with 247Sports, Ali specifically mentioned speaking with Calipari and assistant coach Chin Coleman on the UK staff. Ali also said he would probably commit to a school in the fall, and that he will soon release a list of his top eight schools.

With these potential developments, what should Kentucky fans know about Ali and how he projects at the high-major college level?

“All the tools are there: He can handle the ball, he has great intangibles with the length and size, he’s a solid athlete,” Brandon Jenkins, a 247Sports analyst who specializes in Texas recruiting, told the Herald-Leader last summer.

“There’s games where he can make jumpers at a high clip and you think that he’s a jump shooter. There’s games where his defense is standing out, his versatility is standing out, but he needs to put it all together on a consistent basis for him to carve out a niche in the game long term.”

Top-ranked Tre Johnson to take official visit to Kansas

When onlookers at The Duel in DFW weren’t focused on Ali’s two-way effectiveness and distance shooting prowess, they were likely focused on Johnson, his Houston Hoops teammate who remains the top-ranked player in the 2024 recruiting class.

Johnson was in Lexington in late January for an official visit to Kentucky for one of the Wildcats’ most high-profile games of last season: an eventual home loss to then-defending national champion Kansas.

Now, Johnson is set to take an official visit to Kansas from May 5 to May 7. He has also taken junior year visits to Baylor and Texas, in addition to UK.

While Kansas and Kentucky are the schools that will soon hold the honor of being Johnson’s most recent official visits, it’s a local school that is still viewed as the leader in his recruitment.

Texas has long made Johnson a priority, and that hasn’t changed under Rodney Terry.

Terry was named the interim head coach of the Longhorns in January, and he had the interim label removed in late March.

One of the first things that Terry did after becoming the full-time head coach at Texas was travel to Lake Highlands High School in Dallas to visit Johnson.

Terry was also an assistant coach at Baylor when Johnson’s father played at the school.

The Herald-Leader watched Johnson play at Lake Highlands in January.

The shooting guard showcased his mid-range and three-point shooting ability in an ultra-efficient outing: He scored 24 points in just 19 minutes on 11-for-13 shooting from the field in a remarkable 105-24 win.

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