Kentucky and Louisville basketball teams recruiting: Relationships still matter

NORTH AUGUSTA, SC — One of the first calls Shelton Henderson received, the one that really put him on the recruiting map, came from Ronnie Hamilton when he was an assistant coach at LSU.

When Hamilton left the Tigers to join Louisville’s new staff, Henderson’s arrival was a bonus.

Even in an age where name, image and likeness can provide millions of reasons to attend a school, relationships still matter in recruiting. And for Louisville coach Pat Kelsey and Kentucky coach Mark Pope, they may be especially important as they settle into their new positions.

Henderson, a 6-foot-1, 235-pound small forward from Texas, is ranked No. 25 in the 247Sports Composite rankings for the class of 2025. He could be a difference-maker for schools as a freshman at the 2024 Nike EYBL Peach Jam basketball tournament, where they’re going crazy for him and whoever is lucky enough to sign him.

Duke, Houston and Texas are actively in the mix. Henderson said UK reached out to him when John Calipari was still coach, and Pope continued to do so after he took over.

Louisville wasn’t on Henderson’s radar until Hamilton was hired. Now Kelsey has picked up the torch and is actively working to lure Henderson to the Cardinals.

“Him and Coach Hamilton, those are the two guys I hear from the most,” Henderson said. “I really enjoy talking to him. He’s a really cool guy, funny guy. I enjoy building that relationship with him.”

So far, Henderson has official visits scheduled to Louisville, Texas and Duke. He said he would like to make a decision in November, but will postpone if he doesn’t feel ready by then.

There will be situations where schools and their collectives will step in to offer recruits life-changing NIL money that is negligible to sign elsewhere. Illinois transfer Coleman Hawkins reportedly received such an offer with a $2 million deal to sign with Kansas State.

All the talk in the world won’t make up for that amount. But for the deals that are relatively equal, players will fall back on old-fashioned reasons like fitness, playing time, the track record of NBA players a coach has produced and good old relationships.

At this point, Kelsey and Pope can only sell their vision for their programs. While Pope has tried to develop a new relationship with Henderson, he has really focused on the future.

“Just talking to him and seeing what he’s trying to build and really listening to how he thinks I fit into their system means a lot to me,” Henderson said.

Trinity High School’s Jayden Johnson received recruiting calls from both staffs led by Calipari and former U of L coach Kenny Payne before they reunited at Arkansas.

When Pope and Kelsey took over their new spots, they both continued the conversation with the 6-foot-4 shooting guard who is ranked No. 50 in the Class of 2026 by the 247Sports Composite.

Neither staff member has offered him a scholarship, but as Johnson said, it’s good to have connections even if he ends up at a different school.

Having a good relationship isn’t just about getting a high school recruit to sign. Playing the long game, knowing the transfer portal is open for business, means these coaches want to leave a good impression for the future. Who knows how many players they offered out of high school will want to transfer to a new program in a year or two.

“I could play for the same coach for four years in college, or I don’t know, something could happen,” Johnson said. “So (being able to) just have connections with all the coaches is pretty good.”

Large budgets for NIL collectives are good, but building relationships during the recruitment process is still invaluable.

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