Info and video on Kentucky basketball recruit Dereck Lively

One of the top frontcourt prospects in the 2022 class, Dereck Lively II has the size, skill and versatility that UK Coach John Calipari looks for in his centers, and Kentucky got involved relatively early in his recruitment.

Standing around 7-feet tall, Lively is an energetic and athletic big who excels at protecting the rim and running the floor. He’s also developing a potent offensive game, including stretching his shooting skills out to the three-point line.

DERECK LIVELY II

• Center | Bellefonte, Pa.
• 7-foot-1, 220 pounds
• 247Sports: No. 46 overall
• Rivals.com: No. 45 overall
• ESPN.com: No. 40 overall

Kentucky was already seen as a possible major player in Lively’s recruitment heading into his junior year.

The central Pennsylvania native picked up early scholarship offers from Florida, Georgetown, Louisiana State, Memphis, Ohio State and UCLA — among many others — before his junior season even began. North Carolina extended an offer in February, and Kentucky and Duke are also circling his recruitment.

There appears to be no rush for Lively with his recruitment, and — assuming the NCAA’s dead period is lifted — this summer will be his first real opportunity to play in front of college coaches.

Lively will compete on the Nike circuit, and he attends the same Philadelphia-area high school that produced former Kentucky recruiting targets Mohamed Bamba and Cam Reddish.

The 2022 class looks like it will be relatively deep with frontcourt talent, but Lively seems to have emerged as one of UK’s top early targets in the group.

Expect Calipari and his assistant coaches to get a good look at him this summer.

Quotable

“Obviously, great size, length and a terrific athlete. He’s very mobile and runs the floor with ease. He’s bouncy. He can go up and catch lobs well above the rim and finish. He’s got great hands and touch. His offensive skill set is expanding. He’s a tremendous rim-protector and rebounder. He has high upside on the defensive end. And with his ability to run the floor, catch lobs, finish off plays in the paint around the rim — and now he’s expanding his scoring package from the pick-and-pop level, from the mid-range out to three. … Just given all of those things, he’s got a very high floor and high upside.” — 247Sports analyst Travis Branham

Crystal Ball

It’s obviously early in Lively’s recruitment — with more scholarship offers expected to come over the next few months — and there have not yet been any predictions logged on his 247Sports Crystal Ball page or the FutureCast section of his Rivals.com page.