It’s no secret John Calipari wanted Paolo Banchero to sign with Kentucky out of high school. He was inarguably UK’s top frontcourt target in the class from the start, extending a scholarship to the 6-foot-10 forward back in June 2019. From there, the in-person contact ramped up, with Calipari visiting him on Sept. 11, Tony Barbee visiting on Oct. 2, Banchero taking an official on Oct. 11, Barbee visiting again Dec. 6, and Calipari making another trip to see him on Feb. 12, 2020.
When COVID-19 shut down in-person recruiting in the spring, Calipari then conducted back-to-back virtual visits with Banchero on April 15 and May 31.