UK Coach Mark Stoops has hit the recruiting trail hard in his first few months on the job.
Photo: Mark Cornelison/Herald-Leader

For the time being, Kentucky has the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class.

In football.

Offensive lineman Derrick Kelly — UK’s newest commitment for 2014 — was awarded two stars by Rivals.com on Tuesday night, and that was enough to push the Wildcats past Texas for the No. 1 spot in the Rivals team rankings.

It’s likely that Kentucky will drop from the top spot as the nation’s traditional powers reel in more four- and five-star recruits, but Mark Stoops and his coaching staff are clearly making a splash in their first few months in Lexington.

“Crazy big news for #kentucky no matter how long it lasts,” tweeted Rivals.com national analyst Mike Farrell.

As of Tuesday evening, the Rivals top 10 looked like this:

1. Kentucky
2. Texas
3. Tennessee
4. Texas A&M
5. Alabama
6. Notre Dame
7. Michigan
t8. Clemson
t8. Florida State
10. Baylor

Once again, Kentucky has the No. 1 recruiting class in the country.

In football.

Unreal.

Kelly — a 6-foot-5, 285-pound lineman — was one of more than 300 recruits who visited UK for the Saturday Night Prime Time Camp earlier this month at Commonwealth Stadium. He is unranked by Rivals, Scout and ESPN but is considered a three-star prospect by 24/7 Sports. Update: Rivals gave Kelly two stars Tuesday night.

24/7 ranks Kelly as the No. 82 offensive tackle in the class of 2014.

The East Gadsden High standout is UK’s 19th commitment for the class, which is ranked No. 2 in the country by Rivals.com.

*-Williams is considered the No. 96 overall player in the class according to Rivals.
*-Barker is considered the No. 117 overall player in the class according to Rivals, No. 109 according to Scout, No. 141 according to ESPN and No. 111 according to 24/7 Sports.
*-Horton is considered the No. 131 overall player in the class according to Rivals.
*-West is considered the No. 185 overall player in the class according to Rivals and No. 202 according to Scout.
*-Snodgrass is considered the No. 205 overall player in the class according to Rivals and No. 204 according to Scout.
*-Ware is considered the No. 198 overall player in the class according to Scout, No. 80 according to ESPN and No. 45 according to 24/7 Sports.
*-Edwards is considered the No. 233 overall player in the class according to Scout.
*-Rankings for Flannigan date back to class of 2012.
*-Rankings for Pullium date back to class of 2010.
Note: ESPN has not yet assigned star rankings to most players outside the Top 150.

Ohio natives Demitrious and Chris Davis announced on Twitter that they will move from Pittsburgh to Kentucky. The twins were redshirt freshmen at Pitt last season. They’ll have to sit out a transfer year at UK this season and will then have three years of eligibility starting in 2014.

Rivals.com ranked the Davis twins as the No. 32 and 33 athletes in the class of 2012. They were the No. 39 and 40 overall prospects from the state of Ohio in that class.

Austintown Fitch head coach Phil Annarella told the Herald-Leader that the Davis’ are “terrific athletes.”

“They’re just absolutely terrific athletes,” he said. “In a spread offense, they can do numerous things. And that’s what we did when we had them with us in high school.”

Annarella said former Pitt coach Todd Graham recruited the Davis twins to play in the spread offense. Graham left for Arizona State before the duo arrived at Pittsburgh, and their planned roles changed under the new coaching staff.

Annarella said Demitrious played the quarterback position in high school, while Chris played wide receiver and defensive back. Graham had planned to use Demitrious as a wildcat quarterback and slot receiver and Chris as a receiver or defensive back.

Their speed and athleticism should come in handy in Neal Brown’s high-octane offense.

Both players regularly turned in sub-4.4 times in the 40-yard dash, according to Annarella. The coach said they were usually clocked in the 4.33-4.35 range.

“They were big-time recruits,” he said. “And obviously with the coaching change at Pitt, I know that the family was just concerned that it wasn’t as good a fit as it was when Graham had recruited them, because of the offensive philosophy.”

The addition of the Davis twins will not elevate UK’s standing in the Rivals.com team rankings, since transfers do not factor into the recruiting class grades. The Cats were ranked No. 2 behind Texas on Tuesday evening.

The twins will join highly touted running back Braylon Heard on the UK transfer list. Heard, who played two seasons at Nebraska, announced his transfer to Kentucky earlier this spring. He will also be eligible for the 2014 season.

South Carolina native Blake Bone announced Monday that he has narrowed his list to four schools: Kentucky, Louisville, South Carolina and Ole Miss.

Bone also had offers from Clemson, Arkansas, Nebraska, North Carolina and several others.

The 6-foot-5, 185-pounder from Woodruff, S.C., is ranked by Rivals.com as a four-star prospect and the No. 47 wide receiver in the class of 2014. He’s considered the No. 8 overall prospect from the state of South Carolina.

Bone was among the many high-profile recruits who visited Kentucky’s campus earlier this month. He visited U of L the same weekend.

Two wide receivers from the class of 2014 have publicly announced their commitment to UK — four-star Thaddeus Snodgrass and three-star Tyre Brady. The Cats have 18 total commitments from the class.

Elam hits five-star status

John Hardin defensive lineman Matt Elam was elevated to five-star status by 24/7 Sports on Monday.

The 6-foot-6, 350-pounder is one of Kentucky’s top recruiting targets for the class of 2014. He also has offers from Alabama, Ohio State and Notre Dame.

Elam is now ranked by 24/7 Sports as the No. 10 overall recruit in the class. There are only 26 prospects who have attained five-star status in the 24/7 rankings.

He plans to announce his college decision in January.

Flannigan gets three stars

Rivals.com designated UK commitment Ryan Flannigan as a three-star prospect Monday.

Flannigan — a linebacker entering his second season at Blinn College in Texas — committed to the Cats earlier this spring but did not have a star ranking in the Rivals system.

Flannigan’s three-star status means Kentucky is No. 2 in the Rivals.com team rankings for the class of 2014. The Cats finished the day Monday just behind No. 1 Texas, while Tennessee, Texas A&M and Alabama rounded out the top five.

It’s worth noting that Rivals is not counting wide receiver Tyre Brady as a member of UK’s recruiting class. Brady tweeted last week that he had committed to the Cats, but there are questions over whether he had a commitable offer. And UK’s coaches did not acknowledge his commitment with their usual Twitter chatter.

If Brady were counted toward UK’s class, the Cats would have enough points to overtake Texas for the No. 1 spot.

Chicago guard Charles Matthews got a text message from Orlando Antigua just after midnight Saturday morning.

Chicago guard Charles Matthews is the third player from the class of 2015 to receive an offer from Kentucky.

Matthews tweeted late Monday night that he had picked up the UK scholarship offer. He was one of the first players the Wildcats coaching staff contacted Saturday — the first day college coaches were allowed to call recruits from the class of 2015.

UK assistant Orlando Antigua got in touch with Matthews shortly after midnight Saturday. He was expecting a call from John Calipari later in the day. Calipari visited Matthews’ high school in Chicago before the end of the last live recruiting period in April.

“I really always liked (Calipari) growing up,” Matthews said Saturday. “I see what he does with guards as well. He really gets guards ready for the NBA and really matures them and puts a lot of responsibility on them but lets them play as well. And that really sticks out to me.

“I really have a lot of interest in Kentucky.”

Matthews already had offers from Arizona, Kansas, Illinois, Wisconsin, Marquette, Missouri and several others. He said Michigan State is also coming after him hard.

He added that there are no leaders in his recruitment.

The 6-foot-4 combo guard is considered a top-10 player in the class by Scout.com (6th), Rivals.com (9th) and ESPN (9th).

Kentucky has also offered Skal Labissiere and Stephen Zimmerman in the class of 2015.

Nevada big man Stephen Zimmerman received a scholarship offer from Kentucky on Monday.

Stephen Zimmerman announced Monday that he has received a scholarship offer from the University of Kentucky, becoming the second player from the class of 2015 to do so.

Zimmerman — a 7-foot center from Las Vegas — joined Memphis big man Skal Labissiere on UK’s offer sheet for 2015. Late Monday night, Chicago guard Charles Matthews said he also received an offer from John Calipari.

Zimmerman was one of the most impressive players at the NBPA Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, Va., over the weekend. He said Friday that UK was one of the schools that had been in contact with his family. “They’re pretty awesome. They know how to win.”

Saturday was the first day that college coaches were permitted to call prospects from the class of 2015, and Kentucky reached out to Zimmerman shortly after midnight.

“It’s an honor,” Zimmerman said Saturday. “They’re an amazing team, and they obviously have an amazing coaching staff.”

UCLA, Louisville, UNLV and Michigan were the other schools that contacted Zimmerman on Saturday morning. “It’s a big thing,” he said of those schools. “It shows that they’re showing interest in me early.”

Duke, Arizona, Kansas and several others have already inquired about the five-star center, and it’s expected that just about every major program in the country will enter his recruitment.

So far, Zimmerman’s parents have been handling inquiries from college coaches. He’s looking forward to getting to know some of the coaches himself.

“I want to be a part of it,” he said. “But it’s a lot to handle for one kid. So obviously I want my parents to help me out with it some.”

Rivals.com ranks Zimmerman as the No. 2 overall player in the class. He’s also considered a top-10 prospect by Scout.com (5th), ESPN (7th) and 24/7 Sports (8th).

He said he last measured at 7 feet and 215 pounds, and one of his goals over the next few months will be to establish himself as a tougher player in the post.

“Get more physical — that’s a big thing for me,” Zimmerman said. “Being a skinny 7-footer, it’s hard. But I’ve just got to get as physical as I can and be able to attack the basket.”

Saturday morning marked the first time that college coaches could directly contact recruits from the class of 2015. Simmons, a versatile 6-foot-9 power forward, was listed as the No. 3 overall prospect in the class when ESPN updated its rankings last week.

Simmons came to the United States from Australia earlier this year and enrolled at Montverde Academy in Florida. He was a teammate of Dakari Johnson and will once again play alongside Ohio State commitment D’Angelo Russell as Montverde tries to win another NHSI title next season.

Simmons is the godson of LSU assistant coach David Patrick.

There has been no mention of Kentucky so far in his limited recruitment, but it’s likely the Wildcats will make a run at the Aussie sometime in the future.

Four-star wide receiver Derek Kief announced his commitment to Alabama on Sunday, picking the Crimson Tide over fellow finalists Kentucky and Ohio State.

Kief, who plays for La Salle High School in Cincinnati, is ranked by Rivals as the No. 47 wide receiver in the country and the No. 17 overall prospect in the state of Ohio for the class of 2014.

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound receiver also had offers from Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Louisville, Arkansas and several other Division I programs. One of his high school teammates was Jaleel Hytchye, who will be a freshman defensive back at Kentucky this fall.

Kief announced his commitment in a YouTube video that included dozens of friends and family members wearing Crimson Tide apparel. The actual announcement came when Kief held up a baby wearing an Alabama T-shirt as Sweet Home Alabama played in the background.

UK commitment Drew Barker was among the first to offer his congratulations on Twitter.

“Congrats bro!” Barker tweeted. “You’ll do big things!”

The Conner quarterback later added: “You win some & then you unfortunately lose some.. But we want guys that are ALL IN for UK! #BBN #StoopsTroops.”

Kentucky has 18 commitments from the class of 2014 and Rivals.com ranks the Cats’ recruiting class among the top five in the country.

UK has two wide receivers lined up for 2014: Four-star Thaddeus Snodgrass and three-star Tyre Brady. They’re also in good shape with several others, including four-stars Braxton Berrios and Blake Bone, and three-star T.V. Williams.

Williams said Sunday that he will announce his college decision July 9 from his high school in Texas.

Diallo, who averaged a camp-high 8.3 rebounds per game, is considered a five-star prospect in the class of 2015. The 6-foot-9 native of Mali plays his high school ball for Our Savior New American School in Centereach, N.Y.

Diallo led the Celtics to a victory over the Mavericks in the title game. The Mavericks roster included UK commitment Karl Towns, UNC commitment Justin Jackson, Indiana commitment James Blackmon Jr., five-star point guard Josh Perkins and highly touted forward Leron Black.

On Thursday, Diallo said that his high school coach is handling his recruitment, but he did mention Kentucky, St. John’s and Arizona as three schools he knows are recruiting him.

Diallo led the Top 100 all-star team, which also included Jackson, Blackmon, UK targets Devin Booker and Myles Turner, Joel Berry, JaQuan Newton, Reid Travis, Kelly Oubre and Kevon Looney.

UK basketball commitment Karl Towns plays golf every Sunday. “Sometimes I’ve just got to get away.”
Photo: Newark Star-Ledger

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — While the world’s best golfers are battling for the U.S. Open title Sunday near Philadelphia, one of the nation’s best high school basketball players will likely be on a golf course not far away.

New Jersey native Karl Towns is Kentucky’s only commitment so far from the class of 2014. Towns is considered one of the top five prospects in his class, and that ranking didn’t come easy.

The 7-footer is on the court or in the weight room six days a week, preparing himself for a summer with the Dominican national team and a college career at UK.

On Sunday, he hits the links.

“He’s got this golf thing — I don’t know what it is, bro. If he don’t golf, he loses it,” said his father, Karl Towns Sr. “So he golfs every Sunday. He’s got extended clubs, everything. It’s crazy.”

Towns jokes that he plays enough that “I probably could beat Charles Barkley,” the NBA Hall of Famer with the infamously hideous swing.

One of his main reasons for playing is to escape from the everyday grind of basketball and the attention that comes with being one of the best prep players in the country.

“For me — and just going to Kentucky, especially — media’s always going to be around,” he said. “You guys didn’t come today not to say something to me. I love all you guys. I really respect you all. But, at the end of the day, sometimes I’ve just got to get away.”

It’s not all fun and games, though.

Towns Sr. said playing golf helps his son develop better concentration skills, which translates to the basketball court. “Everything is a thinking process. He says golf has made him become a better player. It keeps him focused on what’s important.”

Towns is an extraordinary shooter for a player of his size, especially at the free-throw line. He made the correlation between shooting and hitting a golf ball.

“You’re trying to hit a golf ball perfectly and you only get one chance at it,” he said. “Just like a free throw. You only get one chance. I go up there, just like I’d hit a golf ball, and be very concentrated, be very focused, just zone out and make that free throw.”

Towns Sr. said his son is so obsessed with the game that he has asked his high school coach, David Turco, to re-schedule practice times so he can get in a round.

“His head coach? He just laughs,” Towns Sr. said.

Is Towns any good?

“He’s good! This cat is good!” his father said. “That cat be clearing 300 (yards) easy, bro. I’m telling you — he can hit it.”

What if UK golf coach Brian Craig wanted Towns to come out for the team next season?

“Karl would be right over there golfing with them cats,” Towns Sr. said. “This cat would golf every day.”

The high school golf and basketball schedules in New Jersey conflict with each other, so Towns hasn’t been able to play competitively for St. Joseph High.

That doesn’t mean he isn’t serious about his game.

He’s a strict traditionalist, according to his father.

“Golfers don’t use no carts. Karl walks 18, bro,” Towns Sr. said.

He shook his head at the thought of his son’s reasoning.

“He says, ‘You don’t see Tiger Woods in a cart.’ I said, ‘Karl … you’re not Tiger Woods!”

UK Coach Mark Stoops and his assistants are putting together one of the best recruiting classes in the program’s history.
Photo: Mark Cornelison/Herald-Leader

South Warren defensive tackle Adrian Middleton announced his commitment to the University of Kentucky on Saturday.

Middleton is considered a three-star prospect and the No. 5 overall player in the state by Rivals.com. He is UK’s 18th commitment for the class of 2014.

UK Coach Mark Stoops immediately “confirmed” Middleton’s commitment on his Twitter account.

“It’s a beautiful day in Lexington! Give me another YAHTZEE!!!!” Stoops tweeted.

Rivals.com’s Justin Rowland said that Middleton’s addition will move UK to No. 2 in the Rivals team recruiting rankings, behind only Texas A&M.

Middleton — a 6-foot-4, 275-pound lineman — also had offers from Louisville, Missouri, Indiana and Western Kentucky.

He joins Conner quarterback Drew Barker as the only two Kentuckians, so far, in the Wildcats’ class. UK is also heavily recruiting John Hardin lineman Matt Elam, who is not expected to make his college announcement until January.

“Must keep the BEST players at home! Great day in My Old Kentucky Home,” tweeted offensive coordinator Neal Brown shortly after his commitment. Brown was Middleton’s primary recruiter.

Scout.com considers the Bowling Green native the No. 33 defensive tackle in the class of 2014.

Another UK recruiting target — four-star Cincinnati wide receiver Derek Kief — is expected to announce his decision Sunday afternoon. Kief also has scholarship offers from Alabama, Ohio State and Notre Dame, among others.

*-Williams is considered the No. 96 overall player in the class according to Rivals.
*-Barker is considered the No. 117 overall player in the class according to Rivals, No. 109 according to Scout, No. 141 according to ESPN and No. 111 according to 24/7 Sports.
*-Horton is considered the No. 131 overall player in the class according to Rivals.
*-West is considered the No. 185 overall player in the class according to Rivals and No. 202 according to Scout.
*-Snodgrass is considered the No. 205 overall player in the class according to Rivals and No. 204 according to Scout.
*-Ware is considered the No. 198 overall player in the class according to Scout, No. 80 according to ESPN and No. 45 according to 24/7 Sports.
*-Edwards is considered the No. 233 overall player in the class according to Scout.
*-Rankings for Flannigan date back to class of 2012.
*-Rankings for Pullium date back to class of 2010.
Note: ESPN has not yet assigned star rankings to most players outside the Top 150.

Chicago guard Charles Matthews got a text message from Orlando Antigua just after midnight Saturday morning.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — When the clock struck midnight Saturday, college coaches around the country got out their cell phones.

The new day marked the first time coaches could call or text prospective recruits from the class of 2015.

Several of those coaches contacted Chicago guard Charles Matthews, who stayed up until 1 or 2 a.m. and then had to endure an early morning wake-up call to compete in the final day of the NBPA Top 100 camp.

“I’m sleepy,” Matthews said after his first game Saturday.

UK assistant Orlando Antigua was one of the first to get in touch with Matthews. Antigua told the 6-foot-5 combo guard that John Calipari would be calling later Saturday.

He might be calling with a scholarship offer.

“I think it’s a good chance, but I’m not sure,” Matthews said. “If they do offer me, I’m going to be very happy for it.”

Going into the weekend, Haitian big man Skal Labissiere was the only 2015 prospect with a UK scholarship offer. But Calipari has taken an interest in Matthews, the No. 9 overall player in the ESPN rankings.

The UK head coach visited the 6-foot-5 combo guard’s high school just before the end of the most recent live recruiting period in April.

And there’s obviously some interest in UK on Matthews’ end.

“I really always liked (Calipari) growing up,” he said. “I see what he does with guards as well. He really gets guards ready for the NBA and really matures them and puts a lot of responsibility on them but lets them play as well. And that really sticks out to me.

“I really have a lot of interest in Kentucky.”

Illinois Coach John Groce was the first one to get through to Matthews — at 12:01 a.m. He also has offers from Ohio State, Kansas and Arizona, among others.

Class of 2014 forward Abdul Malik Abu talked to UK Coach John Calipari earlier this week.

The scholarship offers — and the attention — keep pouring in for class of 2014 forward Abdul Malik Abu.

He’s trying not to think about it.

Instead of waiting by the phone and dwelling over which major college coach might or might not call him next, Abu has been in the gym trying to fine-tune his game for a grueling summer schedule.

Kentucky is one of the most recent schools to get involved with his recruitment. The 6-foot-8, 235-pound power forward caught the Cats’ attention while playing for the EYBL’s Expressions Elite squad earlier this spring.

UK assistant Orlando Antigua gave him an introductory call in April. He was excited, but Abu didn’t let that mess with his routine.

“I got back in the gym and just kept grinding,” he said. “I kind of stayed away from contact with coaches — trying to better myself in the gym first. Then, before I came to camp, Orlando called me back again and said that Cal wants to speak to me.”

That was Tuesday — and Calipari called back the very next day.

“It was good,” Abu said of that conversation. “He’s a very confident man, and he’s very convincing. He’s clear and clean cut. He doesn’t want to beat around the bush with you.

“It’s an offer I feel like I can get if I just play the right way and keep playing tough.”

He’ll have plenty of opportunities to prove himself against the best big men in his class. In addition to this week’s NBPA Top 100 camp, Abu said he plans to participate in the Amare Stoudemire camp, the LeBron James Skills Academy, the Nike Global Challenge and the Nike EYBL finals at Peach Jam.

The four-star forward is obviously too busy with actual basketball to worry too much about his recruitment. When he finally sits down to go through his list of schools, it could take a while.

He’s had standing offers from Florida, Michigan State, UConn, Cincinnati, Maryland and Wisconsin, among several others. Kansas, Tennessee and N.C. State are among the most recent to offer.

Abu — who was born in the United States to parents who emigrated from Nigeria about 25 years ago — doesn’t have any official visits planned and has so far only seen a few of the schools around his hometown of Boston.

If an offer was to come from Kentucky, he said he’d “definitely” take a trip to Lexington.

Abu is well aware of UK’s program and has been following the Cats over the past few seasons

“It’s hard not to. It’s Kentucky,” he said. “They’re on TV all the time. But that doesn’t really come into play for me — the hype or the media. I just want a style of play and a good fit. And if Kentucky has that for me, that could be a great decision for me. But if they don’t, I have other options.”

When Abu and Calipari discussed the player’s possible role as a Wildcat, the UK coach brought up returning sophomore Alex Poythress as a comparison to how Abu might be used on the floor.

Abu sees himself as a “face-up four” who can play away from the basket and stretch defenses with his versatility. He also described a hard-working, grinding style and said he’s most often been compared to Thomas Robinson, who had great success at Kansas before being selected as a lottery pick in 2012.

The NBA is Abu’s ultimate goal — and Kentucky might be just the place to get him there.

“Every kid’s dream is to play in the NBA, no matter how old,” he said. “You look up to players (like) LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. The fact that Kentucky sends a plethora of their guys to the NBA is a good feeling. That’s why I assume a lot of kids go there, because they want to fulfill their dreams. Playing in the NBA is a dream of mine too. And If I was to land a Kentucky offer, it would be a great consideration.

“But I’m going to go to the best fit, and not to my highest offer.”

Josh Perkins will be a senior at Huntington Prep next season. He teamed up with UK commitment Karl Towns on Friday night in Virginia.
Photo: Karl Gehring/The Denver Post

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Karl Towns has been committed to Kentucky for more than six months now, and he’s still the only member of the Wildcats’ class of 2014.

The New Jersey big man admitted Friday night that he could use a little company. He might have been playing with one of his future teammates just moments before speaking to reporters.

Colorado native Josh Perkins has been attracting the attention of UK Coach John Calipari in recent weeks, and the pass-first point guard was on the same squad as Towns during Friday night’s session of the NBPA Top 100 camp.

“He was excellent,” Towns said. “Me and him had a good rapport when we stepped on the floor. We just worked hard together, worked hand in hand. … He being such a great point guard, it worked out pretty well. Our IQ levels are high and we just knew right away what we had to do to score and win the game.”

Perkins kept the ball moving on a team that also included five-star North Carolina commitment Justin Jackson and sharpshooting Indiana commitment James Blackmon Jr.

Towns’ original statement came before he knew UK was even looking at Perkins.

“I’m glad,” Towns said after he heard the news. “He’s one very talented point guard. His IQ is very high. I think this year when Kentucky played, they were missing that — a true point guard.”

Myles Turner has been elevated to five-star status on Scout.com.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The new Scout.com player rankings for the class of 2014 won’t be released for another few days.

Scout national analyst Evan Daniels couldn’t wait to make one update.

One of UK’s newest targets — Texas center Myles Turner — was dominating the competition at the NBPA Top 100 camp Thursday, and Daniels saw no reason to hold out until next week to elevate him from three-star status.

“We need to go ahead and make that change now,” Daniels said of his thought process. “There’s no point in wasting time. That dude’s a five-star player, a potential top-10 recruit. He can play anywhere in the country. There’s not a school he can’t play at.”

Turner, a 7-footer, now has five stars in the Scout database. And he’ll have a lofty national ranking in no time.

He also has more schools calling him than he can count.

Turner tried to list them all Thursday night. He didn’t say anything about Duke, and someone asked about them. The Blue Devils were on list. No mention of U of L. The Cardinals have inquired too.

Others included Kansas, Arizona, Oklahoma State, Texas, UCLA, Baylor, UNLV and Miami. It’s probably safe to say if a school has a college basketball program, one of its coaches has asked about Turner.

John Calipari called Turner’s father last weekend, and he’s been trading text messages with the UK assistants.

“He’s the break-out guy this spring. He’s this year’s Anthony Davis, so to speak,” Daniels said. “Maybe not to that extent, but in the high school season he was fairly unknown and now he looks like a top-10 prospect.”

Turner was one of the best players in the building over the first two days of the NBPA camp. On Friday, he picked up where he left off the day before.

He was running the floor, stretching the defense with his shooting ability — he even made a three-pointer — and battling for loose balls.

And his offense isn’t his strong suit.

“Defensively, he can change a game with his ability to get to shots,” Daniels said. “And guys are scared of him. Guys are afraid to attack the basket when he’s in the game.”

The Cats already have Karl Towns — another 7-footer — in the fold for the class of 2014, but that doesn’t mean they can’t add Turner too.

“I think they complement each other pretty well,” Daniels said. “Karl stands out on the offensive end. … Right now, Turner’s strengths are on the defensive end. There couldn’t be a frontcourt better than that one.”

Karl Towns made his first appearance at NBPA Top 100 Camp on Friday night.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A day after UK assistant Orlando Antigua was officially announced as the new Dominican national team coach, Karl Towns Jr. was talking about how he couldn’t wait to join the team.

Towns, who missed the first three sessions of the NBPA Top 100 Camp so he could play with his high school team, jumped in a car and drove seven hours to take part in the Friday night session.

He played alongside UK target Josh Perkins and helped lead his team to a victory. Afterward, he talked about preparing himself to compete with the Dominicans for the third consecutive summer.

“I just wanted to train so hard to really make my mark on the Dominican team this summer,” Towns said. “Make sure I’m fully prepared for the job they have me do. Especially with a new coach in Coach Orlando.”

There’s no set date or location for the beginning of the Dominican team’s training camp, but it’s expect to start sometime in late July or early August.

Towns has limited his spring/summer schedule to concentrate fully on the national team — he was born in New Jersey but his mother is a native Dominican.

Much of his time since the end of the high school season has been spent in the weight room. His father, Karl Towns Sr., said Towns weighed about 235 pounds last Christmas. He’s up to about 250 pounds now.

That extra bulk will come in handy when going up against his fellow national team members like NBA star Al Horford.

“He needed to get bigger and stronger,” Towns Sr. said. “Because when he goes out there, those are men.”

Towns — a 7-footer — is known for his outside game as much as his post play. His father said not to worry about the UK commitment’s abilities away from the basket. That’s still a big part of his game.

But Towns has made the Dominican team his short-term priority, and he wants to fight for a starting position after spending most of the time on the bench last summer.

“He’s going to elevate up to get minutes,” Towns Sr. said. “He’s bigger, stronger, experienced. He went through it. They feel that he can really make a contribution this year. They’re planning on him being out there.”