Kentucky’s push for the 2026 high school recruiting class is nearly complete, and the results have been underwhelming. Head coach Mark Pope and the Wildcats are set to bring in just two high school players for the 2026–27 season.
The top addition is four-star point guard Mason Williams, son of assistant coach Mo Williams and ranked No. 110 overall by 247Sports. The other signee is combo guard Zyon Hawthorne, the younger brother of current Kentucky forward Braydon Hawthorne. Zyon remains unranked by major recruiting outlets.
After missing on several five-star prospects in 2026, Kentucky is now placing early emphasis on the 2027 class—particularly elite point guard Beckham Black, who is ranked No. 3 nationally and could rise to No. 1.
“Just a pass-first point guard, really. I love to get my teammates involved. I love passing the ball, love averaging a lot of assists. Just the small point guard things that not a lot of point guards do anymore,” Black said. “If that’s defense, if that’s passing, scoring, whatever my team needs me to do to win, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Black said communication with Kentucky has been steady as he builds relationships with the staff.
“It’s been great, hear a lot from them. So just working on building relationships with all of them, and we’ll see where it goes,” he said.
On what programs are telling him, he added:
“I mean, really, kind of the same thing everybody’s saying. They’ll trust me from day one. So it’s great to hear that from all the coaches. But just got to build those relationships to see who I can trust down the line.”
Black is the younger brother of Anthony Black, who starred at Arkansas before being selected No. 6 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft and now plays for the Orlando Magic. Reflecting on what he’s learned from his brother, Beckham said:
“I’ve learned to be a leader, I’d say. No matter what, no matter who you’re playing with, use your voice, because I have a strong voice. So just making sure I use my voice. Always leading, and the most important thing is always trying to win. No matter how, it has to happen. Just making sure we’re trying to win.”
He also noted the exposure he’s gained through his brother’s NBA career.
“(With) him being in the NBA, I’ve met a lot of NBA players, so that’s cool. Seeing how he works out, I mean he’s a pro, so seeing how pros work out, getting to watch other pros work out.”
Discussing his development at Southeastern Prep alongside elite talent, Black said:
“It definitely gave me a look at the next level, because up until this last year I hadn’t been playing with five stars. I come to a school where I’m playing with four other five-stars, so just learning how to play with people better than me, people as good as me. Just got to figure out what I can do differently to set myself apart from everybody who’s as good as me and better than me.”
On how recruits compare notes during the process, he added:
“We all kind of talk about it. What we’re looking for and where we want to go. Talk about what schools might be better for the different type of players that we are, so just little things like that.”