Somto Cyril has committed to UK basketball. What does it mean for the Wildcats’ future?

Kentucky men’s basketball recruiting has moved at a frenetic pace in recent weeks.

Head coach John Calipari and the Wildcats moved to shore up the 2023-24 roster with a couple late freshman additions, as well as the arrival of an experienced college basketball veteran from the NCAA transfer portal.

With this focus on the immediate future, not much attention was being paid to what Kentucky had planned for the 2024 recruiting class, despite the Cats having already extended 14 scholarship offers to players in that class.

But now, UK has a player to build around in 2024 following the Wednesday afternoon commitment of center Somto Cyril.

An elite big man from the Overtime Elite league (OTE), Cyril is listed as 6-foot-10 and 241 pounds on his OTE roster page and will bring a dominant interior presence with him to Lexington.

Cyril was a force in the Overtime Elite league last season, after he began his prep career at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

With per-game averages of 8.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.4 blocks during the regular season, Cyril earned OTE Defensive Player of the Year honors and cemented himself as one of the most physically imposing college basketball prospects in the nation.

This is reflected in the current recruiting rankings: In the 247Sports Composite, Cyril is ranked as a four-star recruit who is the No. 7 center in the 2024 recruiting class and the No. 44 player overall among class of 2024 players.

There was strong speculation that Cyril was set to bring these attributes to Lexington a year ahead of schedule by reclassifying to the 2023 recruiting class and joining UK for next season.

As of now, the plan is for Cyril to remain in the class of 2024. This timeline was reported by 247Sports national basketball analyst Travis Branham following Cyril’s commitment Wednesday, and would allow for Cyril to spend another season developing at OTE.

Calipari seemingly has the 2023-24 UK team in place, and a look toward future recruiting classes can now begin in earnest with the knowledge that Cyril is the first piece of that foundation.

Cyril to bring a physical on-court presence to UK

The Herald-Leader has watched Cyril in action several times in recent months at Overtime Elite’s facility in Atlanta.

Cyril’s presence and physical play is immediately striking in both individual and five-on-five settings, as well as his desire to compete on the defensive end.

“I feel like it’s just me being me. Trying to help my team get a win,” Cyril told the Herald-Leader in February about what separates his game from other players. “Of course, play defense for my team, block shots, get a rebound, make plays easy for my teammates, get them open, set screens. I just do the little things that change the game in a good way.”

What are his self-assessed strengths and weaknesses on a basketball court?

“I feel like, offensively, I just need to be able to make plays for my teammates on the ball,” Cyril said. “I know I can do that off the ball and defensively, I get the job done. I stop people from scoring. I block shots. I get rebounds. I just try my best to get stops and that’s about it.”

Born in Nigeria, Cyril’s basketball development took off following his arrival at Overtime Elite.

While in the OTE setup, Cyril played for both the City Reapers team (which featured 2023 NBA Draft lottery picks Amen and Ausar Thompson) as well as the Cold Hearts team (which featured incoming UK freshman guard Robert Dillingham).

Additionally, Cyril played against another incoming Kentucky freshman, Jordan Burks, on four occasions in OTE action.

“I feel like I’ve gotten way better (since coming to OTE) because it’s really tough playing with these guys on this level,” Cyril said. “Everyone out here is on the top level, top talent and everything. I feel like I’ve gotten way better because, if I can do it on this level, I can for sure do it in college.”

Cyril’s head coach with the Cold Hearts — former Providence star and longtime NBA player Ryan Gomes — compared the attention Cyril demands in the paint to the kind needed to guard former UK star Oscar Tshiebwe when speaking to the Herald-Leader in February.

While it would be unfair to place anything close to Tshiebwe level expectations onto Cyril — especially still more than a year out from what would be his college basketball debut — it speaks to the dominant force Cyril can be on the basketball court.

And when it comes to what Cyril is looking to get out of his college basketball experience, it’s a familiar refrain to what we’ve heard many Kentucky commits say in the past.

“I think it’s just overall a winning team. Good teammates. Nice coaching staff. I want to be in a place (that) I want to get better every day. Help me grow my game,” Cyril said. “Overall just grow as a person and hopefully get me ready for the next level.”

Cyril is first piece of what should be a new-look frontcourt

Projecting forward to the 2024-25 season, Cyril figures to have a ready-made spot for him in the Kentucky lineup.

UK currently has just three frontcourt players on its roster, and there’s the strong chance none of them will stick around for the 2024-25 season.

Freshman center Aaron Bradshaw — who is currently sidelined with a foot injury — is a projected 2024 NBA Draft selection, as is sophomore center Ugonna Onyenso.

Fifth-year forward Tre Mitchell, UK’s lone incoming transfer for next season, is set to play his final season of college basketball.

The Kentucky frontcourt appears likely to hit the reset button after next season, and Cyril is the first player the Cats can count on in this endeavor.

Who could join Cyril as a true freshman teammate in the frontcourt?

Kentucky has a scholarship offer out to Flory Bidunga, who is widely viewed as the best center in the 2024 class, but the winds are trending toward a Duke commitment for him. The Cats aren’t currently viewed as a major factor in his recruitment.

UK doesn’t have any other scholarship offers out to frontcourt players in the 2024 class.

This means some combination of a late-stage recruitment, a transfer portal commitment or a surprise return from a current UK player will form Kentucky’s frontcourt two seasons from now.

UK basketball announces jersey numbers for next season. See the number each Wildcat will wear.

Kentucky basketball’s SEC/ACC Challenge matchup has been revealed. It’s not Duke or UNC.

The NCAA is trying to force a legal showdown on NIL. Its strategy is shaky.

Can John Calipari and Kentucky basketball take advantage of their late good fortune?

The Kentucky basketball roster is filling out. But who can play for the Cats in Canada?