Fansided

5-star recruit Malik Monk commits to Kentucky

By Joseph Calabrese

Nov 6, 2015; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari reacts during the game against the Kentucky State Thorobreds in the second half at Rupp Arena. Kentucky defeated Kentucky State 111-58. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2015; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari reacts during the game against the Kentucky State Thorobreds in the second half at Rupp Arena. Kentucky defeated Kentucky State 111-58. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Kentucky Wildcats 2016 class was just bolstered by the addition of five-star recruit Malik Monk.

Coming off the heels of a 74-63 victory over defending National Champion Duke, John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats flexed their muscles more when they announced the addition of Malik Monk to their 2016 class.

The 6-foot-4 dynamic shooting guard is just the latest coup for Calipari, who has had Kentucky near the tops each year in recruiting since he arrived in 2009.

A product of Bentonville High school in Arkansas, Monk was regularly ranked among the top five recruits in the country this season and was Scout’s No. 1 ranked recruit at his position in his region.

Monk brings an interesting dynamic to Kentucky in the sense that he’s most comfortable in an environment slashing to the rim and playing in an up-and-down pace in transition. In recent years, Kentucky has been blessed with so many guards; names like John Wall, Brandon Knight, Aaron and Andrew Harrison, and while those players were certainly talented enough to create their own shot, Monk presents the first real, natural, and complete shooting guard that Calipari has recruited in his tenure.

In his Scout interview, Monk compares his style of play closest to Oklahoma City point guard Russell westbrook — two players who love to relentlessly attack the rim and push the pace of the game.

Ultimately, Monk’s decision came down to Kentucky and his home state of Arkansas, and he chose Kentucky. Arkansas was successful last season and reached the Round of 32, and they did it behind shooting guard Bobby Portis who had some interesting words to say after Monk made his decision:

https://twitter.com/BPortistime/status/667022985480400896

Some shade was clearly being thrown Monk’s way, but in reality, Portis is probably more disappointed that the home state boy didn’t choose to stay closer to home.

It will be hard to match last season’s undefeated run until the Final Four loss to Wisconsin, but if anybody could in a given year, it’s Calipari’s bunch in Lexington. 2015 is poised to be another big year, and 2016 has all been confirmed to be too after Monk’s arrival.