Why is Kentucky basketball recruiting international star Or Ashkenazi? What you need to know
It’s been reported by multiple outlets that Kentucky is recruiting a 6’5″ guard, Or Ashkenazi, or at least checking in on him. Ashkenazi is an international player who currently plays in the Israeli Premier Basketball League. He plays for a team called Hapoel Yossi Avrahami Eilat and has played professionally for three years in Israel.
The following schools have inquired about three-year pro guard Or Ashkenazi, per his agent:
There are a few things that you should know about the recruitment of Ashkenazi and how viable he is as an option for Kentucky next year.
1. He’s never played College or American basketball
This isn’t a problem per se; the fact that Mark Pope is willing to dip into international waters is a great sign. Gonzaga is known for pulling in some of the best international prospects every year. Obviously, the NBA has some stars who didn’t play in America until college or the NBA. Even Kentucky has Kerr Kriisa, and while he was recruited by Arizona, he’s still considered an international prospect as he grew up playing basketball overseas.
The only thing that’s hard to know is how it translates. On the women’s side of the ball, we see that freshman Clara Silva is still adjusting to the American women’s college game. Other professionals who have made the leap sometimes need a bit of adjusting. Watch some of his tape below:
2. Stats
Ashkenazi is good in the Israeli basketball league, but he’s not exactly tearing it up. He’s only scored a game-high 14 points; he averages around 4, and while he fills the stats with other odds and ends, he’s mostly a role player. This may be a depth piece for many of the schools reaching out, and for some of the lower-level ones, maybe even a future starter, but it doesn’t appear he would immediately tear up college basketball. He’d probably start on the bench for Kentucky.
In the 2023-24 season, he played in all 30 games, averaging 21.9 minutes per game. Which is a great sign, but his stats aren’t popping off the page:
3. Eligibility
Nowadays, the NCAA basically rolls over for any dispute, but eligibility internationally can still be a problem. I’m not sure what it would be for Ashkenazi, but he would be some hoops. He has never played college basketball, as mentioned above, which means he technically would come in as a 21-year-old freshman.
