LEXINGTON, Ky. — Toward the end of his first game of the Nike EYBL stop over the weekend, DJ Wagner blazed down the court with the basketball, switching hands and directions, befuddling defenders and finishing the flash of a sequence with a beautiful left-handed layup at the basket.
Gathered just a few feet away and watching intently were some of the greatest basketball players to ever represent the University of Louisville. Among them: Pervis Ellison and Darrell Griffith, the MVPs of the Cardinals’ two national title teams in the 1980s. The dynamic duo stood next to fellow U of L great Milt Wagner, and — at the conclusion of that play — they excitedly turned in his direction, offering a collective, congratulatory whoop of approval.
Wagner grinned and shook his head, beaming proudly in the presence of his old friends.
By now, anyone who cares knows that DJ Wagner — long ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the 2023 class — is the grandson of Milt Wagner, one of the greatest players in Louisville history.
And if there was anyone who still questioned just how much the Cardinals would like the younger Wagner to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps, they had a crystal-clear answer by the end of the weekend.
A few days before the Nike showcase came to town, Milt Wagner was introduced as the latest staff member under new Louisville head coach Kenny Payne, his longtime friend and former college teammate. Several others who played alongside Payne and Wagner at U of L were present for DJ’s EYBL opener Saturday morning, including Ellison, the program director for the younger Wagner’s New Jersey Scholars team.
For him, it was a special scene.
“That was great, man,” Ellison told the Herald-Leader. “It’s just the fact that everybody is supportive and behind Kenny. The university — I’ve got to give them credit, because they made a tremendous selection in picking him as the coach to get this program back. And I know he’s going to do a fantastic job, because he’s going to have the support of the city, former players — everybody’s behind him.”
Payne wasn’t allowed to be in the Kentucky Exposition Center over the weekend, since this session of Nike games didn’t fall inside of one of the NCAA-approved evaluation periods. At times, it seemed like just about everyone else associated with Louisville basketball was there.
There was plenty of red and black in the stands to see Wagner play, lots of dunking bird shirts and U of L hats. And the local legends came out in force.
It’s not exactly clear what impact the scene might have had on Wagner’s thinking. The Scholars staff did not permit any of the players to take part in media interviews following any of their five games. The 17-year-old’s smile said plenty, however. He was hounded for photographs — many of the requests coming from kids, some from adults, most of them wearing Louisville gear. Wagner would stop what he was doing and pose with a big grin on his face, often standing next to someone with an even bigger smile and an “L’s up” hand gesture.
“That young man — he’s been one of the top recruits for a long time,” Ellison said. “And, obviously, he knows how to handle that type of situation. So his maturity and how hard he works — I’ve never seen anybody that young understand who he is and where he wants to go. He’s going to be successful in whatever he does.”
DJ Wagner on the court
In that first game of the weekend Saturday morning, Wagner dropped 29 points and led the Scholars to a victory, often dazzling with the ball in his hands and living up to the expectations that he’s been saddled with since middle school.
He averaged 19.0 points in five games over three days, sprinkling in high assist numbers in some of those contests and playing some lockdown perimeter defense in others. Wagner has been ranked as the No. 1 player in the 2023 class since those lists first started coming out, and he could very well finish the recruiting cycle in the top spot.
Earlier in the week, 247Sports dropped him to No. 2 in the group behind North Carolina commitment GG Jackson, a versatile, hybrid forward who has wowed scouts in recent months.
247Sports analyst Travis Branham told the Herald-Leader that the rankings switch was more about how Jackson has been performing and had less to do with any perceived shortcomings in Wagner’s game.
“While he did fall in the rankings and lost his No. 1 spot, he has developed quite a bit over the past six months, particularly in his ability to make shots,” Branham said. “He has become much more of a consistent, reliable shotmaker — not only from midrange, but also from three.
“The next thing he needs to develop is his halfcourt playmaking. But, so far this spring, I think everybody has been very impressed with what he’s done.
Wagner has long been projected as a point guard at the next level, but that might change by the time he gets to a college campus this time next year. While the 6-foot-3 prospect is downright electric — and basically unstoppable — in transition, he does struggle some with his decision-making and facilitating in the halfcourt, especially as the ball gets closer to the basket and defenders zero in on him.
Obviously, he still has a competitive summer on the Nike circuit and another year of high school to work on his playmaking. He’s also relatively young for his class, just turning 17 a few weeks ago. And he’s wired to score.
“As of right now, he looks to be more of an off-ball guy,” Branham said. “But, at the same time, he’s high volume. He wants the ball in his hands. And he’s a guy you want to put the ball in his hands. Because he has this aggressiveness, this toughness, this mentality about him — where you want to give him the basketball and just go make things happen, especially in late-game situations.
“Late in the game, he’s the guy that you’re going to give the basketball and say, ‘Go get us a bucket.’ ”
Recruiting DJ Wagner
For most of Wagner’s high school career, Kentucky was viewed as the major — and, in the eyes of some, unbeatable — favorite in the high-profile recruitment.
The young player’s father, Dajuan Wagner, was John Calipari’s first big-time recruit at Memphis, and the two families have remained close in the two decades since. When it became clear that Payne would be a legitimate candidate to become the next Louisville coach, however, the whispers began. And before U of L even announced Payne — a longtime Kentucky assistant coach — as its new coach, there was buzz in recruiting circles that Milt Wagner would join the Cardinals’ staff in some capacity.
So, what happened last week — Wagner being introduced as U of L’s new director of player development and alumni relations — surprised exactly zero outside observers who had been keeping tabs on the situation.
Funnily enough, Calipari did the exact same thing when recruiting Dajuan more than 20 years ago, hiring Milt in a similar support staff position shortly before landing a commitment from his son. That obviously worked out well for all parties, with Dajuan helping Calipari rebuild the Memphis program and establishing his one-and-done approach that would carry over to UK. Dajuan was a lottery pick, and Milt spent six years at Memphis and another eight years as an assistant coach under Tony Barbee at UTEP and Auburn.
This time around, it looks like Calipari could be on the losing end of the same deal.
The eldest Wagner dodged questions about how his hire might relate to his grandson’s recruitment at his introductory press conference last week.
“I’m taking it one step at a time,” Milt said. “I’m just happy to be here, to be truthful. I’m here. I’m at my alma mater, with my brother, KP. Got a great coaching staff with us. I’m just ready to get started and get this program back to where it needs to get to. …
“It’s great to watch my family progress in this basketball world. And I’ll just continue watching. But, right now, this is just about me being on this coaching staff and being part of the University of Louisville.”
But it’s clearly about much more than that.
Branham was the first recruiting expert to log a Louisville prediction on Wagner’s Crystal Ball page back in April, nearly a month after Payne was introduced as the Cardinals’ new coach and amid buzz that what happened last week would be happening in the near future. Several pro-Louisville picks have followed on the national recruiting websites over the past few weeks.
Despite all of that, there’s a sense in UK basketball circles that this thing isn’t over just yet. There are even some within the Kentucky program that are privately saying Wagner will ultimately choose the Wildcats, hard to believe as that might be to anyone outside Lexington.
And even though Branham was the first to pick Louisville as Wagner’s most likely landing spot, seeing the star recruit in Kentucky blue wouldn’t necessarily be a surprise.
He told the Herald-Leader over the weekend that he’s standing by his Louisville prediction. He still thinks Wagner ends up there once this is all over. But …
“Kentucky is still very much alive in this,” he said. “They’re still going to be a factor. And, frankly, from what I’ve gathered, I do think that Kentucky feels pretty good in this situation. So, still a lot to play out.”
So, for UK fans who have followed Wagner these past few years, there’s still hope.
Ellison has watched this whole deal unfold from a unique spot. One of Louisville’s greatest players of all time, he was publicly critical of the previous coaching staff for not pursuing star prospects under his tutelage despite those formidable ties. One of his recent players, Lance Ware, even went to old rival Kentucky (and Ware sat behind the Scholars bench over the weekend, showing his support). Ellison applauded Ware’s move, but now Payne has brought the Louisville basketball family back together.
Still, he didn’t play any favorites when talking about Wagner’s recruitment over the weekend. And, happy as he was over the scene surrounding Wagner’s weekend opener — with all of those former teammates and longtime friends in attendance — he bristled at the narrative that this is a done deal for Louisville.
“Obviously, they’re going to recruit him,” Ellison said. “But his family, they’re a strong influence in his life. And they’re going to take their time and evaluate the situation academically, socially, obviously — from a playing perspective — his fit and everything. And they’re going to come up with a decision as a family.
“My answer is the fact that I know that family is going to take their time. And whatever selection they make is going to be a tremendous selection — wherever that young man goes to college.”
