Richmond, former Memphis target, decommits from Kentucky

Billy Richmond III rescinded his commitment to Kentucky on Tuesday, according to multiple reports.

Richmond (6-foot-5) is a 5-star small forward from Memphis who finished his high school career earlier this year at Camden (N.J.) High School.

Richmond, whose father, Billy, is a former Memphis basketball player (under former Kentucky coach and new Arkansas

coach John Calipari) and founder of The Wing Guru restaurant chain, initially chose Kentucky from a list of finalists that included LSU, Alabama and Penny Hardaway’s Tigers.

Richmond’s high school career began at East in Memphis. He is listed as the No. 25 overall recruit in the Class of 2024 by 247 Sports Composite.

Richmond took an official visit with the Tigers in September 2023, then committed to Kentucky in December.

Many of the players committed to the Wildcats have decommitted in the wake of Calipari’s departure. Zvonimir Ivisic, who played sparingly at Kentucky last season, recently announced he is transferring and following Calipari to Arkansas. Aaron Bradshaw, another former Wildcat, recently announced his transfer to Ohio State.

Hardaway is working on a large-scale overhaul of his roster. Leading scorer David Jones is weighing whether to return or begin his professional career. Forward Nicholas Jourdain announced publicly earlier this year that he plans to be back. But they are the only two scholarship players from last season’s roster who haven’t either entered the transfer portal or moved on due to expired eligibility.

Memphis has commitments from three Division I transfers -- guards PJ Haggerty and Colby Rogers, as well as big man Dain Dainja -- and one incoming freshman, guard Jared Harris.

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.