The Kentucky transfer is a former five-star recruit
Former five-star recruit Sacha Killeya-Jones announced his decision to transfer from Kentucky in April, but his potential destinations remained unclear until Tuesday, when a list of schools he intended to visit was revealed. According to Jeff Goodman of ESPN, Killeya-Jones will be visiting at least three schools, and Pitt made his list.
Kentucky transfer Sacha Killeya-Jones is visiting NC State tonight and tomorrow, and Pittsburgh this weekend, his former coach Fred Cannon told ESPN.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) May 8, 2018
Also has a trip to Wake Forest Memorial Day Weekend.
North Carolina has been in consistent contact, but no visit set yet.
After a midweek visit to NC State, the Chapel Hill, North Carolina, native will head to Pittsburgh over the weekend. He’s also scheduled to visit Wake Forest on Memorial Day weekend and is said to be in “consistent contact” with his hometown Tar Heels, who were in the mix for his initial commitment back in 2016. However, he wasn’t scheduled to visit North Carolina as of Tuesday.
Despite his blue-chip status, Killeya-Jones averaged just 11.7 minutes per game over two seasons with the Wildcats. In his freshman season, he ranked 10th on the team in minutes per game, with 6.9 over 14 appearances. That’s largely because the 6’10” forward was stuck behind Bam Adebayo and Isaac Humphries in the frontcourt.
He was blocked again last season, as Kentucky added five-star freshmen P.J. Washington, Nick Richards and Kevin Knox, all of whom saw more minutes than Killeya-Jones. That trend appeared likely to continue, too, as the Wildcats added 2018 five-star forward E.J. Montgomery on April 9. Shortly after his commitment, Killeya-Jones announced his decision to transfer.
If Killeya-Jones is looking to significantly increase his minutes, Pitt represents a solid option, as its frontcourt is in dire need of a reliable contributor. With that said, Wake Forest lost Doral Moore to the NBA draft, and NC State’s Omer Yurtseven transferred to Georgetown. So they’re in the market for frontcourt help as well. They also happen to be in Killeya-Jones’ home state, which could potentially give them an advantage in recruiting him.
During his two seasons with Kentucky, Killeya-Jones made 58.5 percent of his field goals and averaged 3.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in limited action. Of course, his stats looked much better on a per-40 basis, as he averaged 10.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per 40 minutes, and that bodes well for the program that lands the power forward.
The only issue for Pitt head coach Jeff Capel is that Killeya-Jones would not be immediately eligible due to transfer rules, which would leave the team’s frontcourt issues unresolved for the 2018-19 season. If he does join Pitt, he’ll sit next season and be eligible for two years after that.
