John Calipari using family ties to woo Karter Knox, other prospects to Kentucky

EMERSON, Ga. — In recruiting, relationships matter. So it’s little wonder why Kentucky coach John Calipari, college basketball’s most dominant recruiter in the modern era, long ago adopted a phrase from his Italian heritage, “La Familia,” as a foundational principle of the program and frequently used Twitter hashtag. Come, he beckons five-star prospects, and become part of The Family. Lately, he’s taken that concept to the extreme.

Next season’s roster will include three whose fathers played for Calipari at Memphis: freshman McDonald’s All-American DJ Wagner, sophomore guard Adou Thiero and senior walk-on Kareem Watkins, Wagner’s brother. There will be four Wildcats — Wagner, Watkins, five-star freshman Aaron Bradshaw and senior Lance Ware — from Camden High School in New Jersey, the same program that produced Milt and Dajaun Wagner. Calipari hired Milt and signed Dajuan in the early 2000s at Memphis.

La Familia, indeed. And now Calipari is at it again, selling deep family ties to top prospects in the 2024 and 2025 recruiting classes. Kentucky’s coach was courtside to see and be seen by three such players last weekend at the opening session of Nike’s grassroots circuit. Karter Knox, ranked No. 8 in ’24, is the younger brother of former UK star Kevin Knox. Billy Richmond III, No. 57 (and climbing) in ’24, is the son of a chicken-wing mogul by the same name who played for Calipari at Memphis. And Jasper Johnson, No. 26 in 2025, is the son of former Kentucky football star Dennis Johnson.

The Family could once again lay a foundation for the future of Calipari’s program. So just how strong are those old bonds?

In the case of Knox, it’s complicated. Kevin was SEC Freshman of the Year at Kentucky in 2018 and the No. 9 pick in that year’s NBA Draft. He and the family have nothing but good things to say about his experience in Lexington. But here’s the catch: Kenny Payne was a big part of that experience — and then he followed Knox to the New York Knicks as an assistant coach, where their relationship grew even stronger. Now Payne is the head coach of UK’s rival, Louisville, setting up another head-to-head recruiting battle with Calipari, who won their first two showdowns to land Wagner and Bradshaw.

“This ought to get real good,” Kevin Knox Sr. says with a booming laugh. “It’s going to be a tough decision. Cal has known Karter since he was a little kid and he started watching him with the 15s (in grassroots). You don’t often see a high-level head coach come to a 15s game and sit and watch the whole game. All his coaches were going, ‘Yo, Knox, Cal is over here watching your son, and we’re trying to get him to come see the 17s.’ So Cal comes to me and says, ‘Look, obviously your son can play at Kentucky, and he’s a pro. We’re family, and we’re going to recruit you as hard as we can, because I want to coach your son.’

“Then KP, he’s been working out Karter for years. He…