Kentucky Basketball
and Mark Pope continue to make moves with high school recruits, as 2027 five-star point guard Reese Alston has included the Wildcats in his top seven, he told Joe Tipton of On3 on Monday.Alston’s top seven also includes Houston, Tennessee, LSU, Vanderbilt, Louisville and Wichita State.
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound point guard plays for Houston Second Baptist in Houston, Texas. According to the 247 Sports Composite, Alston is ranked No. 9 overall nationally, No. 3 among point guards,
and No. 1 overall in the state of Texas in the 2027 class.
Alston also comes from a notable basketball family. His father, Rafer Alston, was a streetball legend who played college basketball at Fresno State before embarking on a 12-year NBA career that included stops with six teams.
Kentucky assistant coach Mikhail McLean has been heavily involved in Alston’s recruitment. McLean visited Alston on April 29, 2025, before Alston made an unofficial visit to Kentucky on Oct. 11. The Wildcats offered him two days later, on Oct. 13.
Multiple reports have indicated that Louisville currently has some early momentum in Alston’s recruitment. However, there is still plenty of time remaining in the 2027 cycle, giving Kentucky and the other programs in his top seven an opportunity to make a stronger impression.
As Alston continues to develop his game heading into his senior season, his recruitment will be one to monitor closely.
For Kentucky, simply remaining in the conversation for a prospect ranked among the top 10 players nationally is another positive sign for Pope and his staff as they continue building the 2027 class, since they have the commitment of 5-star small forward Ryan Hampton.
