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Elijah Wood is seeing his recruitment pick up
Kentucky coach John Calipari has already extended offers to 2020 recruits Scottie Barnes and N’Faly Dante, but Elijah Wood is also hearing from the Wildcats.
Wood, a 6-foot-5, 190-pound shooting guard from Bethesda, MD., unofficially visited Kentucky back on February 24th for the Wildcats win vs. Missouri. The UK staff is expected to keep a close eye on his progression throughout the spring and summer.
Wood plays for Bethesda Chase High School throughout the school year but he’s running with Team Thrill on the Under Armour circuit this summer. He’s already off to a good start and his strong play led to him climbing ten spots to No. 58 overall in the Rivals 2020 player rankings.
He spoke with Go Big Blue Country recently about his visit to Kentucky and how things are shaping up in his recruitment.
“I was excited to visit the University of Kentucky,” said Wood. “I had an opportunity to tour the practice facility with coach Barbee, which was cool. I got a chance to eat with the guys, talk to them, and see how they prepare for a game.”
Wood didn’t know much about Kentucky prior to his unofficial visit but it didn’t take him long to realize why Wildcat fans are called the Big Blue Nation.
“The fans out there are die-hard Kentucky fans and the atmosphere was exciting to be apart of.”
An offer from Kentucky hasn’t been extended yet but Wood knows what he has to do to work his way towards earning one.
“Their message to me was to keep working hard on and off the court. You can be apart of something special and one day be here playing for this program. They also mentioned they were going to follow my progression in AAU during the spring and summer.
Auburn, Depaul, Georgia, Kansas State, St. Johns, TCU, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech have all offered, among others, but he singled out five schools that have been on him the hardest lately.
St. Johns: “I got the chance to see St. Johns a couple of times this year. I really like the system they run and how they run a lot of high ball screens for their point guard. They play fast and play hard the entire game. Coach Matt Abdelmassih came to my game this season and recruited me for their staff. I also got a chance to see them beat Duke in Madison Square Garden, which was a great experience.
K-State: “Is the latest school to offer me. Coach Chester Frazier from their staff has recruited me. He’s from the DMV area. I like how physical and freely the guards are able to play at their program. I want to be a better defensive player and they teach their players to buy into the defensive mindset to be successful on the court.”
Oregon: “Is a school that has shown high interest. They have not offered me but coach Mike Mennenga has seen me play last July and has been following me throughout the year. He will be following my progression during AAU as well.”
South Carolina: “Coach Perry Clark has come to my high school practices a lot this past season and is a really cool guy. He’s expressed interest in me from day one. They have not offered me as of now but I appreciate him taking the time out to come see my team and me.”
Purdue: “Coach Brantley has also visited my high school and seen me practice a lot. They have not offered either but he’s been following me during the season and will be coming to see me play during the live period also.”
As for Kentucky, they’re high on the list, even though they haven’t offered. Wood knows what an offer from Kentucky would mean.
“To receive an offer from Kentucky would be exciting. It’s always been a blessing to receive an offer from any program but an offer from Kentucky would be an honor.”
