Mo Williams is ‘The Closer,’ but Ryan Hampton is also recruiting hard for Kentucky — with his eyes on one target

Ryan Hampton‘s recruitment was the one that helped Mo Williams earn his new nickname just months on the job: “The Closer.” The five-star prospect’s father famously told the story of the Kentucky staff showing them old clips of the program from the very beginning up to now, including Hampton at the end as the future of the winningest program in college basketball history. “It was emotional at one point,” Rod Hampton told KSR+. Then Williams went in for the kill, telling the prized target, “We need you here.” And the rest is history. From the newest pledge’s standpoint, the nickname is justified and the Kentucky assistant’s presence undoubtedly lives up to the hype. Hampton said Williams was there from day one and every step along the way since, not taking ‘no’ for an answer when it came time for a decision. “Coach Mo is definitely ‘The Closer,’ for sure,” he told KSR. “I mean, he’s a great person. He had a relationship with me and my family the whole entire time when he offered me. He’s definitely ‘The Closer,’ he’s one of the best recruiters in the entire country. Passing up on that would be hard, for sure, because he’s going to get at you.” Now that he’s joined the family, though, it’s his turn to take over as a recruiter himself, getting some of his talented friends to join Kentucky’s push for a national championship in Lexington. He tried hard with Marcus Spears Jr. — a family member of his and longtime friend — but the timing of his reclass decision complicated that, paving the way for his commitment to Texas. Fortunately for us, though, his Rolodex is full and he’s ready to go right down the list on top targets for the Wildcats, helping Pope bring one or two to Lexington. “Yeah, for sure,” Hampton said of his new recruiting role. “I was trying to get Marcus (Spears Jr.), but he made a great decision. He’s my cousin, but also my best friend, so he made a great decision on that. Definitely on a journey to get some more guys, just got to wait on it.” Who is he prioritizing? Any names to keep a close eye on? There is one in particular he’s been working on and continues to make a push. “The name I will say, the most I really want and I talk to him — we got to know each other in the past few weeks after I went to (Jayson Tatum) Camp — is Paul Osaruyi,” he told KSR. “He’s one of the guys that can really fit in the system. I just told him it’ll be a great fit for next year. Obviously, he’s a five-star; we’re rated really high, so that would be a good pick-up, for sure, for Kentucky basketball.” Osaruyi is rated as the No. 10 overall prospect and No. 2 power forward in the latest Rivals’ Industry Rankings. He picked up an offer from the Wildcats back in April, singling out UK as a program he’s had his eyes on for a long time, thanks to the program’s Canadian ties with the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray coming through Lexington. Their recruiting efforts are mutual, interestingly enough, with Osaruyi also pushing Hampton to join him and close out their high school careers together. “Me and Ryan have a good relationship, we’ve built that relationship over the years,” Osaruyi told KSR. “I’ve been seeing him since we were both in the 8th grade, we’ve grown up with each other. He’s Kentucky and Kentucky is recruiting me. He’s a great person. I tried recruiting him to my (high) school, too, wanting him to come to Bella Vista next year. But we’ve grown up together and have a great relationship.” What’s Hampton’s pitch for the next level? Kentucky is the place to make your NBA dreams come true, with a platform and opportunities you simply can’t pass up. He’ll be coached hard and play next to elite talent before making the jump to the next level as a pro. “Man, Coach Mark Pope ain’t gonna sugarcoat you,” Hampton said. “His goal is — he wants to be in the NBA, so he would do that for you. And it’s Kentucky. It’s one of the best — no, the best blue-blood in college basketball. The atmosphere is crazy. The fans are going to love you, for sure. It’s like no other, Kentucky basketball, why would you pass up on that? “That’s what I told him, and I’ll keep talking to him when I see him. That’s definitely the guy I’m looking forward to keep talking to and get that commitment.” Maybe the Wildcats have a couple of real closers on their hands?