By: Eric Fawcett -- May 8, 2024 Florida will reportedly be getting a visit by one of the highest profile remaining players in the transfer portal–Kentucky’s DJ Wagner. Wagner has been a huge name in basketball circles ever since he was in middle school as a talented player and someone in a family of basketball royalty. His father was Dajuan Wagner, a former star at Memphis, and the grandson of Milt Wagner, a former star at Louisville. Wagner was involved in a very high profile recruitment between Kentucky and Louisville who hired Milt Wagner as an assistant coach to try and lure DJ only to come up short, which began criticism of head coach Kenny Payne among fans that only grew louder throughout his tenure. Florida Reportedly Getting Visit From Kentucky Guard DJ Wagner | GatorCountry.com PS -- Wow! I'm getting old! I remember watching his grandfather play at Louisville.
His great-uncle, Robert Wagner, is best known for "It Takes a Thief," Number 2 in the Austin Powers trilogy, and his starring role in "Throwing Natalie Wood Off the Boat." His great-great-grandfather, Richard Wagner, is best known for "The Ride of the Valkyries" and the Warner Bros. remake, "Kill the Wabbit."
From the comments I've read here lately, there's no shot we have the NIL funds for this. Unless Clayton leaves?
3 crystal balls logged for Wagner to Arkansas....good chance he never makes the Florida visit, will probably commit this weekend ...Next....
Im really not sure what the potential interest is from either side here. Wagner is a SG by HS trade (according to 24/7), who struggled when he was in the PG role at UK and really seemed to only play up to his level at the 2. So he doesn't help solidify us at PG, he would present the same question marks at the position as Martin and Clayton, and we are more than solid at SG.
I would still love us to look internationally for that true PG spot. We're a pro team now with a big stage / platform for those wanting US exposure and to take a crack at the NBA. This transfer portal market is a messy and expensive one, there is so much young talent around the world. Golden has tapped it a little, but it's still mostly untapped, especially now that the NCAA is pro. Golden and his staff seem like great evaluators of talent. They might find a diamond in the rough with the last 1-2 roster spots.
Yes and we had the Consonant, but there’s a whole sea of international players out there. The US is 4% of the world’s population. Lithuania is a great place to look though, that and former Yugoslavia countries. That area is ripe for the plucking arguably the top 5 players in the NBA right now are international: Jokic, Shai, Embiid, Giannis and Luka. The ROY is too: Wemby. 3 of those 6 are Nigerian heritage. 4 out of 6 didn’t go to US colleges. DPOY: Gobert. The basketball world is changing. So many in the NCAA focused on their backyard but it’s truly an international sport now. So many young great players out there. Kublickas is only one of hundreds. We might see a big jump from him and he might get some PT, but why not open up our market and keep looking for an impact player that might be overlooked because we’re all looking in the same spots
If we can find a young, multi-year kid who wants to play in the states, I have no doubt we would. It’s not like we don’t want to recruit internationally. But it’s also as likely that we get a Rod Tishman as an Alex Condon. Many of these kids are already making money on club teams playing against grown men, and finding a sufficiently talented kid who wants to come overseas so far away from family and wait his turn at the collegiate level isn’t exactly easy. Usually need a good contact you trust on the international circuit and a little luck identifying the right kid. Far more likely that you can check all the boxes via portal or high school.
Todd Golden has said on many occasions that he really wants to focus on the European market and leverage his ties there as an untapped source of talent to pipeline into Gainesville. Inside the International Recruiting Focus for Golden, Gators - ESPN 98.1 FM - 850 AM WRUF https://247sports.com/college/flori...cruiting-roster-alex-condon-gators-218370101/ https://247sports.com/college/flori...g-press-conference-scott-stricklin-185050303/
Like I said, plenty of kids and plenty of situations. Golden has said he wants guys that want to play in the NBA. Golden seems like a really good talent evaluator. I like his chances of finding the right kid who wants this platform to showcase his talents and make the jump. Like you said, many are already pro and on club teams. If they're good, who says they have to wait their turn. We want the best anyway. Also, who's to say that club team was in their home country. Luka left Latvia at 13 to play at Real Madrid.
"It's been going on for a while but now you see more and more guys coming over and having really good careers that lead them to having opportunities to play in the NBA," Golden said Wednesday. "I think that's number one. Then, we as coaches, when we go and recruit internationally, we see guys who are really ready to go. They've kind of come up through clubs or different organizations where, transparently, they get to train more than our young men and women do."
