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Huntington Prep standout Braydon Hawthorne has announced that he's heading to the Kentucky Wildcats for the 2025-26 college basketball season. On Tuesday, the 6-foot-8 forward confirmed that he has committed to play for the Wildcats for his first year of collegiate hoops.
In an interview with On3 KSR, Hawthorne revealed that one of the biggest reasons for his decision is the winning culture in coach Mark Pope's Kentucky. Hawthorne elaborated:
“That was very important. Yhat stood out to me. I love to win and hate to lose. I just got that winning mentality, I got the scrap about me. That right there stuck out to me and I think we’re capable of doing it. ... (I want to) just meet everybody and be positive, get to work. I’m excited to grow as an individual and then grow as a team player, help out my team."
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Eventually, Hawthorne's decision boiled down to four schools, namely the Wildcats, Duke Blue Devils, Pittsburgh Panthers, West Virginia Mountaineers and the Virginia Tech Hokies. The Beckley, West Virginia, native was a four-star recruit, ranked 35th in the high school class of 2025.
Braydon Hawthorne's primary goal is to help the Kentucky Wildcats to their ninth national title
In his aforementioned interview with On3, Hawthorne was asked about the kind of goals he has, both individually and team-wise, with the Kentucky Wildcats. The swingman said that his focus remains on giving the school its ninth overall national title, first in 13 years.
"The biggest thing for me is I’m not worried about individual success. I want to come in and contribute to winning that ninth one. That’s my biggest goal, that’s our biggest goal. Individually, I just want to grow as a player and develop my game all around, just getting close with the guys in the locker room. That means a lot to me," Hawthorne said.
Hawthorne is set to join a Wildcats team that finished with an overall record of 24-12, 10-8 during SEC play earlier this year. They appeared in the 2025 NCAA national tournament and reached the Sweet 16 before losing 78-65 to their longtime rivals Tennessee Volunteers on March 28.
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