Kentucky Basketball Recruiting: Top Targets in 2015 Early Signing Period

After a summer filled with courting potential prospects in the class of 2016, the Kentucky Wildcats have to get down to business during the fall to add to their haul that only includes Sacha Killeya-Jones at the moment.

The class of 2016 is seen as one of the most talented groups in recent history, and there is plenty of competition for each elite player between Kentucky and the nation's other top programs, especially the Duke Blue Devils. 

At this point in the recruiting season, the Wildcats are still looking to lock down players at each spot on the court since most of their starting lineup from the 2015-16 season will be off to the NBA in less than a year. 

With that in mind, we offered up a few scorers and frontcourt players whom the Wildcats should chase after the most ahead of the 2015 early signing period. 

Harry Giles

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Going after the top prospect in any recruiting class is never an easy task, but it seems like the Wildcats are behind the eight ball a bit with Harry Giles. 

Giles, who is a North Carolina native, has Duke, North Carolina, Wake Forest and Kansas on his list of remaining schools, along with Kentucky. 

The No. 1 player in the stacked class of 2016 has already visited Wake Forest and plans on being in Lexington for Big Blue Madness, but despite the scheduled visit, Giles' mind might already be made up thanks to Duke's current class that includes fellow class of 2016 stud Jayson Tatum.

There is no doubt Kentucky has the program pedigree to pull in a recruit like Giles, but it may take an extra push from head coach John Calipari in the days and weeks leading up to Giles' official visit to lure him away from his home state.  

De'Aaron Fox

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De'Aaron Fox was not near the top of Kentucky's list of top targets when the offseason began, but now he is one of the hottest commodities on the recruiting market thanks to a few factors. 

Fox's play over the summer combined with the torn ACL suffered by fellow class of 2016 point guard Dennis Smith Jr. allowed the Wildcats to jump into the race for Fox's signature. 

In a class loaded with talented point guards, the Texas native might be the best, which is why the Wildcats should go all in during the fall to bring Fox to Lexington.

Fox had an in-home visit with Calipari last week, per ESPN's Jeff Borzello, and he visited the Louisville Cardinals over the weekend. He will make his official visit to Kentucky one week after he heads to the Kansas Jayhawks, per 247 Sports. 

Kentucky will be able to offer Fox a starting gig right away since Tyler Ulis and Jamal Murray are expected to depart the program if they are successful during the 2015-16 season. Isaiah Briscoe could also leave, but he might be better suited to follow Ulis' path and stay in college for two years to boost his stock. 

Regardless of what experienced guards are on the Kentucky roster for the 2016-17 season, Fox should be able to nab a starting spot right away in order to improve his rising profile. 

Malik Monk

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Kentucky will face an in-conference battle for the signature of shooting guard Malik Monk, who has deep ties to Arkansas. 

Monk's decision will likely come down to the Wildcats and the Arkansas Razorbacks, which means Calipari should be able to use his program's success against the hometown angle used by Arkansas. 

The Arkansas native is one of the top shooters in the class of 2016, and he would provide the Wildcats with plenty of points from the backcourt alongside whichever top recruits also enter the program. 

With no other outside competition entering the race for Monk right now, Calipari can build his case for Monk to join Kentucky strictly against what Arkansas has to offer. If Monk is willing to leave his home state, the Wildcats would make a major splash on the national and local recruiting scenes. 

Edrice "Bam" Adebayo

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Kentucky wasn't in on the Edrice "Bam" Adebayo sweepstakes from the start, but the interest between the two parties has grown over the summer. 

As for why the interest in Adebayo has risen recently, 247 Sports' Jerry Meyer offered Kyle Tucker of the Courier-Journal an explanation: 

"Now, it is interesting that Calipari all the sudden is expending the energy to recruit him. But that could be a lot of things. It could be that he thinks they really have a chance or it could be 'We don't look good on other fronts, so let's give it a shot' or it could be leveraging other recruits to make a decision," Meyer said. 

The power forward is set to make an unofficial visit to the NC State Wolfpack on Saturday after visiting the Auburn Tigers a week ago, per CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein. 

Right now, it looks like the Wildcats are on the outside looking in, but if Calipari continues to ramp up his efforts in the coming weeks, he could sway Adebayo's mind. 

Wenyen Gabriel

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Kentucky may not be the favorite to land Wenyen Gabriel at the moment, but it might have to increase its efforts in the recruitment of the power forward to stop the progress being made by Duke with the class of 2016. 

Gabriel made a visit to Lexington last weekend, and by all accounts, it sounds like it was a successful trip. 

“He had a great visit with Kentucky and is taking some time this week to get back on the court and in the weight room," Gabriel's high school coach Mike Mannix told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. 

Duke, UConn and Maryland are also involved in Gabriel's recruitment, but the Blue Devils are seen as the biggest threat to Kentucky, especially after they landed Javin DeLaurier recently.

One thing Calipari can use against Duke is its growing depth in the frontcourt. Gabriel would be guaranteed playing time right away in Lexington instead of forming some type of platoon with his fellow big men at Duke.