The first pair of John Calipari vs. Kenny Payne recruiting battles were fun. It started with five-star center Aaron Bradshaw announcing his commitment to Kentucky after considering Louisville, followed by his high school and grassroots teammate quickly joining the fold in five-star guard DJ Wagner.
Payne pulled out all of the stops and had all of the connections, hiring Wagner’s grandfather to his staff while the dynamic duo played for NJ Scholars program director Pervis Ellison, the UofL head coach’s former teammate and longtime friend.