When recruits dive into why they’re considering Kentucky as a real option for them, Kenny Brooks‘ name obviously pops up a lot. After all, he is the guy running the show. However, there is one assistant in particular whose name may come up even more than Brooks’ does. That would be Josh Petersen.

After two seasons as an assistant at Miami (FL), Petersen jumped ship to Kentucky. Since then, he’s been one of Kentucky’s most valuable assets on the recruiting trail. On3’s Talia Goodman talked with KSR about Petersen’s prowess on the recruiting trail.

If you aren’t familiar with Goodman’s work, she’s On3’s women’s basketball recruiting expert. In turn, Goodman has talked to a countless number of high-profile prospects (and Kentucky targets) who have raved about Petersen.

“I think he’s clearly the lead recruiter that they have right now, and he did a really strong job of [recruiting] at Miami,” Goodman noted. “A lot of the connections that he made when he was there have definitely carried over to his time at Kentucky, and I’m sure that’s a big reason why they wanted him right in Lexington.”

She added, “I think he’s a very valuable asset to have, and I think that the whole group over there has done a great job recruiting, but when I talk to recruits, more often than anybody else on that staff, it’s his name that comes up — just the connection that these recruits have been able to form with him. I don’t even ask for names all the time, and [recruits will] tell me his name and that he’s been a strong point of emphasis for why they are considering the Wildcats.”

Even with the introduction of the transfer portal, Petersen has always made it a priority to keep attacking the high school scene hard. That’s something that is under-appreciated in the current landscape of college basketball.

“A lot of people are maybe diminishing the power of high school recruiting right now and relying on the transfer portal a lot, but it says something that [Kentucky is] able to be in on these top recruits because of the staff that they have.”

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