The father of DJ Jeffries, the four-star Mississippi standout who backed away from his monthslong commitment to Kentucky earlier this week, isn't pleased with Kentucky and the way the coaching staff responded after his son re-opened his recruitment.

In a radio interview with ESPN 92.9 in Memphis, Corey Jeffries called the reaction from John Calipari's coaching staff was "unprofessional." 

"We talked with Kentucky, and it kind of shocked me," Jeffries said on Tuesday. "They were kind of unprofessional. They didn't handle the news the way I expected them to handle it, being professionals.

"It's just that they had been professional through the whole process. We weren't cussed out or anything like that, there were just some discouraging remarks made about his future that were out of line. But that wasn't directly from Coach Cal."

Jeffries, who is ranked as the No. 37 overall prospect in the Class of 2019 and the No. 10 small forward in the country, made his commitment to the Wildcats back in early March over the in-state Tigers. But he did so a week before Memphis chose to hire Penny Hardaway as its next coach. 

With Hardaway's close connection to Jeffries -- he coached him on the AAU circuit last year -- it seems Memphis is the early favorite to be the landing spot in the wake of his decommitment. Especially so if Kentucky decides to give up its pursuit of him, as his father said he expects.

"It was a factor," Jeffries said of his relationship with Memphis' coach and the affect it had on his decision this week. "We have a bond with Penny already. It's not like we have to get reacquainted with him."