Kentucky on the Radar of D'Angelo Russell

Kentucky fans have rarely had the chance to root on home-state players in the past few years because of the program John Calipari has rebuilt in Lexington. However, Darius Miller and future Kentucky player Derek Willis has given others hope, including D'Angelo Russell.

Russell (Class of 2014, Montverde Academy, Fla.), a native of Louisville, has dreamed of playing in front of family and friends at home in the state of Kentucky, whether it is UK or Louisville.

"It would be a blessing to play for Kentucky," Russell said enthusiastically. "They always bring in the top players and it's a good program."

In addition to Kentucky, Ohio State is also a school the 6-foot-2 guard has expressed extreme interest in. In fact, in a recent interview with FiveStarBasketball.com, Russell called both institutions "dream schools."

"I like both school's styles of play, and they both bring in great players. That's why they are dream schools."

Louisville, Xavier, and Indiana have all offered Russell to this point, and Purdue is another school showing interest.

Russell's recruitment very well could end in an epic battle between UK and Louisville, but the sophomore made a statement regarding the in-state competition as well.

"To be honest, I like Kentucky more than Louisville. That's not saying I don't like Louisville, but UK is more attractive right now."

Nevertheless, Rick Pitino and the Cardinals are showing tons of interest in Russell, as he said "Louisville and Ohio State" were recruiting him the hardest. "They stay in close touch," he explained.

Russell plans to visit Kentucky and Ohio State during the summer; Wednesday, he also took a short trip from Montverde Academy to take in the UCF game against Marshall.

With great teams expressing interest in Russell, he obviously is an elite player. People have their comparisons, but the star guard has his own comparison.

"I think I'm similar to UConn's Jeremy Lamb," he began. "We are both long and lanky and can shoot it pretty well. We're also pretty athletic."

Dakari Johnson is also an elite sophomore at Montverde, and while he hasn't been eligible to play this season, Kentucky has also showed a fair amount of interest in the big man. Russell is very interested in sharing the court with Johnson, who he has built a very stern relationship with over the past year.

"When you have two really good players, they can make the other three look good too. I think that's how Dakari and I am. We practice with each other, and we have just continued to build our chemistry and bond. We hang out all the time."

It is very possible that both stud sophomores could be on campus together for a visit in the summer, and it is also possible for the two to go to college together. With a dynamic duo like that, it will only attract better players.



D'Angelo Russell will also have a recruiting journal with us here at NOB. We would like to thank D'Angelo for his interest, and his first entry will be coming soon!

Follow D'Angelo on Twitter @dangelorussell1

Follow Garrett Tucker on Twitter @GTuckersports for more info on Kentucky recruiting