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Kentucky Basketball Roster Tracker: And then there were none

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Kentucky Basketball Roster Tracker: And then there were none


Just like that, Mark Pope has a completely clean slate entering his debut season at Kentucky. Antonio Reeves and Tre Mitchell were already certainties, followed by Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard and Ugonna Onyenso all entering the draft while Adou Thiero, Aaron Bradshaw, Joey Hart, Zvonimir Ivisic and DJ Wagner all hit the transfer portal.

That left just one player from the 2023-24 roster under John Calipari: Jordan Burks.

The former three-star recruit then made what we all expected official on Friday, entering the portal and exploring his transfer options, bringing that leftover total down to zero.

To take it a step further, Jayden Quaintance, Boogie Fland, Karter Knox, Billy Richmond and Somto Cyril are all free agents again after backing away from their Kentucky commitments, Travis Perry remaining as the lone signee for Pope. You feel good about him sticking around — “There is a good chance he will not jump into the portal,” the new head coach said of the state’s all-time leading scorer at his introductory press conference — but he still technically has a decision to make on his future.

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The one guarantee? 2022 four-star guard Collin Chandler, who announced his commitment to Kentucky on April 16. The former top-40 prospect is coming off a two-year mission and will make his college debut in 2024-25.

Now it’s time for Pope to fill out the rest of the roster his way, bringing in his own talent from the transfer portal. The rest of Calipari’s pool is looking elsewhere.

GONE (GRADUATED/NBA DRAFT)Antonio ReevesTre MitchellJustin EdwardsRob DillinghamUgonna OnyensoReed Sheppard

TRANSFER PORTALAdou Thiero*, Aaron Bradshaw*, Joey HartZvonimir IvisicDJ Wagner, Jordan Burks

* Also testing NBA Draft waters

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IMPORTANT DATES

  • April 27: NBA Early Entry Eligibility Deadline (11:59 p.m. ET)
  • May 1: Transfer Portal Closes
  • May 12: NBA Draft Lottery
  • May 13-19: NBA Combine
  • May 29: NCAA early entrant withdrawal deadline (11:59 pm ET)
  • June 16: NBA Draft Early Entry Entrant Withdrawal Deadline (5 p.m. ET)
  • June 26: NBA Draft 2024 First Round
  • June 27: NBA Draft 2024 Second Round

Want more Kentucky Basketball roster intel? Join the KSR Club for access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.


UPDATES

April 20: Kentucky contacts Duke’s Sean Stewart

  • Kentucky joins Kansas State, Indiana, Arkansas, USC, Florida State, Cincinnati, Georgetown, Arizona State, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Baylor, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Cal, Stanford, South Carolina, Washington, Howard, UCSB and Harvard to express interest
  • Was the No. 12 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle
  • The 6-9 freshman out of Windermere, Florida averaged 2.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in just 8.4 minutes per game this season for the Blue Devils

April 20: Drexel star Amari Williams begins official visit to Lexington

  • The 6-10, 265-pound forward will make the trip to Lexington from April 20-22
  • Kentucky is a finalist, joining St. John’s and Mississippi State
  • Mark Pope met with Williams on Thursday

April 19: Jordan Burks enters the transfer portal

  • Averaged 1.9 points and 1.7 rebounds in 7.2 minutes per outing as a freshman
  • Was a three-star recruit in high school out of Overtime Elite
  • The 6-8 forward only saw at least 10 minutes in seven of his 20 games played

April 19: Adou Thiero cuts list to five, includes Kentucky

  • Previously entering the portal on March 28, the 6-8 forward is now considering Kentucky, North Carolina, Pitt, Indiana and Arkansas

April 19: Kentucky makes final six for Villanova’s TJ Bamba

April 19: Tennessee transfer Jonas Aidoo hears from the Wildcats

April 18: Reed Sheppard declares or the NBA Draft

  • The star guard is the No. 7 overall prospect in ESPN’s list of best available draft prospects
  • He has decided to forgo the remainder of his college eligibility
  • “I’m going all-in,” Sheppard told ESPN. “The opportunity I have is great. I’ve gotten really good feedback showing where I can be in the draft. I had an unbelievable year at Kentucky. It was such a fun year. It’s not easy leaving the fans and the school I dreamed of playing at. I need to do what’s best for me, and that’s heading to the NBA.”

April 18: BYU’s Aly Khalifa commits to Louisville over Kentucky

  • The 6-11, 270-pound center out of Alexandria, Egypt announced three finalists on Sunday: Kentucky, Louisville and BYU
  • Khalifa averaged 5.7 points, 4.0 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 19.4 minutes per game on 38.6/31.5/62.1 shooting splits
  • Originally entered portal on April 12 with a ‘do not contact’ tag, visited Louisville this week
  • He will be redshirting in 2023-24 while rehabbing a knee injury

April 18: Kentucky reaches out to Texas Tech’s Pop Isaacs

April 18: Former McDonald’s All-American Brandon Garrison plans visit to Lexington

April 17: Kentucky “will be involved” for Duke’s Jeremy Roach

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  • Roach has appeared in 130 games throughout his career at Duke, including 108 starts. He was a team captain as a junior and senior.
  • He averaged 14 points, 3.3 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 32.7 minutes per outing this season on 46.8/42.9/84.4 splits
  • Jeff Goodman reports Baylor is the favorite to land his commitment

April 17: Belmont’s Cade Tyson hears from Mark Pope

  • One of the top shooters in the portal
  • Averaged 16.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.6 APG on 49.3% FG, 46.5% 3PT this year
  • Tyson previously heard from Kentucky’s staff under John Calipari

April 16: Utah State’s Great Osobor contacted by Kentucky

  • On3’s Joe Tipton reports that Osobor has been in contact with the Wildcats
  • Checks in at 6-foot-8, 250 pounds. Averaged 17.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game in 2023-24
  • Was tabbed the Mountain West Player of the Year this past season

April 16: Oklahoma’s Otega Oweh hears from Pope

  • Pope reached out to Oweh this week, according to KSR+’s Jacob Polacheck
  • The 6-foot-4, 210-pound combo guard averaged 11.4 points and 3.8 rebounds, playing in 32 games for Oklahoma as a sophomore in 2023-24
  • He started in 28 games and averaged 24.8 minutes per contest
  • Oweh is set to visit Oregon on April 19 and Texas A&M on April 23

April 16: Kentucky contacts Dayton transfer Koby Brea

  • Pope reaches out to Brea on Tuesday evening, the combo guard tells Jacob Polacheck of KSR+.
  • 6-foot-5, 175-pound combo guard who averaged 11.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 33 games as a junior in 2023-24.
  • Started four games while averaging 29.1 minutes per outing. Shot 49.8 percent from deep on 201 attempts this past season.
  • Also heard from the likes of Kansas, UConn, Duke, Indiana, Arkansas, Louisville, and many more.

April 16: Pope reaches out to Stanford’s Andrej Stojakovic

  • The son of former NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic has heard from Kentucky, he told KSR+’s Jacob Polacheck
  • Stojakovic averaged 7.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 40.9% from the field and 32.7% from three as a freshman at Stanford
  • He is currently scheduled to visit Cal this weekend

April 16: Collin Chandler commits to Kentucky

  • The 6-4 scorer is rated as the No. 34 overall prospect and No. 6 combo guard in the final 2022 On3 Player Rankings
  • Chandler spent two years on mission ahead of his college basketball debut in 2024-25
  • 2022 Utah Gatorade Player of the Year, averaged 21.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 steals as a senior in high school
  • Committed to BYU over Arizona, Gonzaga, Oregon, Stanford and Utah, among others

April 15: Ugonna Onyenso declares for the NBA Draft

  • “I’m ready to go to the next level,” Onyenso told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. “I’m not thinking about coming back to play college basketball. I’m 100% focused on the NBA.”
  • Onyenso averaged 3.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 19 minutes per contest this past season
  • The 7-foot center is the No. 47 overall prospect in ESPN’s list of best available draft prospects
  • He signed with an agent, but did not officially shut the door for a return to college, despite making it clear he has no interest in coming back to school

April 15: Zvonimir Ivisic transfers to Arkansas

  • “I made the lifetime decision to come to college for a few reasons,” Ivisic announced. “Main one’s to win a national championship and go to the NBA. Monumental part of that decision was Coach Cal, and no one does both of those at the same time than him. That’s why I am excited to announce that I am committing to Coach Cal and the Arkansas Razorbacks!”
  • Ivisic racked up 15 total appearances in Lexington, averaging 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 57.7% from the field and 37.5% from three.

April 15: Aaron Bradshaw commits to Ohio State

  • Bradshaw took an official visit to Columbus over the weekend and announced his commitment to open the week on Monday.
  • The former top-five recruit was the first portal entry for the Wildcats to commit elsewhere
  • He originally entered the transfer portal on April 8 while also testing the draft waters
  • The 7-foot-1 freshman averaged 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game this season while shooting 57.6% from the field.

April 15: DJ Wagner enters transfer portal

  • The 6-foot-3 former five-star recruit averaged 9.9 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 25.8 minutes per game for Kentucky this past season
  • 247Sports’ Travis Branham says Wagner will consider a return to Kentucky and meet with Mark Pope while also considering entering the 2024 NBA Draft

April 15: Northern Illinois transfer David Coit hears from the Wildcats

  • Kentucky joins TCU, Louisville, Utah, Washington State and Oregon State as schools to reach out, according to The Portal Report
  • Averaged 20.8 points, 3.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game
  • 40.7% FG, 33.7% 3PT, 88.5% FT

April 14: Kentucky schedules visit with Drexel transfer Amari Williams

  • Williams is a three-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-CAA member in 2023-24
  • He averaged 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.8 blocks in 22.9 minutes per game as a senior, shooting 51.7% from the field and 65.5% at the line
  • He is considered the 18th-best available player in the On3 Industry Transfer Portal Rankings and will have one year of eligibility remaining as a graduate transfer

April 14: Kentucky reaches out to Oklahoma State transfer Javon Small

  • Kansas, Miami, Indiana, Texas and Louisville are other schools with mutual interest, sources tell KSR
  • Averaged 15.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 4.1 APG, shooting 44% overall last season
  • Set to take official visit to Miami this week

April 12: BYU’s Jaxson Robinson becomes name to know for Kentucky

  • The 6-7 guard averaged a team-high 14.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 26.4 minutes per outing.
  • He shot 42.6 percent from the field, 35.4 percent from deep (6.9 attempts per game), and 90.8 percent from the free throw line.
  • KSR has learned Robinson is a potential portal addition with Kentucky seen as the likely destination should he enter, following Pope to Lexington

April 9: Rob Dillingham enters the NBA Draft, forgoes remaining eligibility

  • Dillingham’s time in Lexington comes to a close with a season average of 15.2 points, 3.9 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game while shooting 47.5% from the field and 44.4% from three.
  • He is currently the No. 4 overall prospect in ESPN’s list of best-available players in the 2024 draft

April 8: Joey Hart enters the transfer portal

  • The 6-5 sharpshooter out of Linton, IN plans to transfer as a redshirt freshman after playing just ten minutes in his debut season as a Wildcat.
  • He scored three points in Lexington — a made 3-pointer in Kentucky’s win over Marshall back on November 24.

April 4: Justin Edwards enters the NBA Draft

  • The former five-star wing becomes the first player to forgo his time at Kentucky and enter the NBA Draft
  • He is currently rated as the No. 30 overall prospect in ESPN’s list of best available players in the draft pool, good for third on the team behind Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard

March 28: Adou Thiero enters transfer portal, will test NBA Draft Waters





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No. 12/13 Kentucky Tops Wright State on Friday

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No. 12/13 Kentucky Tops Wright State on Friday


Clara Strack scored 26 points and grabbed seven rebounds as No. 12/13 Kentucky thumped Wright State 96-53 on Friday night inside Historic Memorial Coliseum.

Three other Cats also scored in double figures. Tonie Morgan had 18 points, six rebounds and six assists. Freshman Kaelyn Carroll made six threes on her way to a career-high 18 points. Asia Boone hit five threes en route to a 17-point night.

Wright State scored first on a three, but Kentucky got baskets from Strack and Morgan to lead 4-3. After WSU scored, Amelia Hassett drained a three and the Cats led 7-5. Wright State tied the game at 7-7 before Morgan and Strack scored to give UK an 11-7 lead. However, Wright State scored the next four to tie the game again.

Strack made two free throws, and Morgan made one, to give the Cats a three-point lead. A Boone three extended the lead to 17-11. Strack scored two more buckets and the Cats had a double-digit advantage. A Morgan three-point play capped the 13-0 run that gave UK a 24-11 lead. Kentucky would lead 31-13 after one quarter.

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Wright State opened the second quarter with an 11-4 run to cut the Kentucky lead to 35-24. However, the Cats responded in a big way. Threes from Josie Gilvin and Boone gave UK a 17-point lead. A Morgan layup, two Strack free throws, and threes from Strack and Carroll (three times) compiled a 22-0 run that ended the half. Kentucky led 57-24 at the break and Strack led all scorers with 18 in the first 20 minutes.

In the third quarter, WSU scored first on a free throw but a Strack basket gave the Cats a 59-25 lead. After three Wright State points, UK got layups from Morgan and Jordan Obi to lead 63-28. After a Raiders’ three, Kentucky went on an 11-4 run, sparked by another three from Carroll, to lead 74-35. The Cats would lead 74-37 after three quarters.

Kentucky scored first in the final stanza on a Strack basket. After WSU scored twice, Carroll hit another three to make it 79-41. Kentucky would build the lead to as many as 46 (96-50) before settling for the 43-point victory.

The Cats now take a break for the holidays before hosting Hofstra on December 28. Tipoff for that game is set for 2 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on SEC Network Plus.

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Kentucky will have Flexible Recruiting Operation in New Territories

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Kentucky will have Flexible Recruiting Operation in New Territories


Will Stein‘s play-calling mantra is simple: Feed the Studs. It only works if you have studs. Kentucky must acquire talent to be competitive. It starts in the upcoming transfer portal, but there are long-term deficits that must be remedied by high school recruiting. Stein is building a staff that has cut its teeth on the trail.

One of the first things we learned about Joe Price, the new Kentucky wide receivers coach, is that he is known in the Lone Star State as East Side Joe. That is a reference to his hometown of Houston, a talent hotbed in the state of Texas. Safeties coach Josh Christian-Young just spent a couple of years at Houston after four years in New Orleans at Tulane.

New offensive line coach Cutter Leftwich first called Denton, Texas, home. He played college football in Louisiana at McNeese State, and spent time coaching at UTSA and North Texas. Kentucky’s two new coordinators each cultivated reputations as excellent recruiters and are coming to Lexington via the state of Texas and Louisiana.

Are you picking up the geographical theme yet?

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Texas and Louisiana produce some of the most talented football players in America, not only in terms of quality, but quantity. In the 2025 On300 rankings, Texas led the way with 42 players, while Louisiana contributed a dozen, tied for the sixth-most. The issue is that Kentucky hasn’t gotten a lot of those players over the years. Might a tide finally be turning?

Sloan has Adaptable Recruiting Pitch

Within his first 24 hours on the job, Joe Sloan flipped four-star wide receiver Kenny Darby from LSU to Kentucky. Sloan’s connections in the state of Louisiana quickly paid dividends. He cultivated those connections for more than a decade in the Boot, but those weren’t always there for the former East Carolina quarterback from Virginia.

“I was 26 years old when Skip Holtz hired me at Louisiana Tech, and I had never been to Louisiana. He said, ‘Hey, what do you think about recruiting Baton Rouge?’ I said, ‘All right, that sounds good to me,’” Sloan recalled on Wednesday.

“He gave me, it was really nice a Crown Vic. The first one, it was a light baby blue. The second one was red, cherry red. It was nice; rolled down there and we started just developing relationships.”

You can expect Stein’s staff to lean on prior relationships to bring players to Kentucky. Jay Bateman has plenty of those in the DMV, the same region where the Wildcats recruited Josh Paschal. However, Kentucky can’t just rely on Texas, Louisiana, and the DMV to build a roster. Sloan believes this staff has the tools to adapt and find the best players from near and far to suit up in Kentucky blue.

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“Recruiting it’s a people business. Coaches, mentors, and family members, they want to know that you have a plan for their son, on and off the field, to develop them to their fullest potential. What I look forward to is the opportunity to develop relationships right in all the areas that we’re going to recruit. I think that’s what it’s going to be,” said Sloan.

“That’s what it’s about, having open doors, answering the phone, creating relationships, and developing a trust with the people around the players that we’re going to recruit, that we’re going to take care of those young men. That’s what I’m going to do, that’s what I’ll continue to do, and that’s what we’ll do here at Kentucky as an entire program. So in terms of, I don’t know that it’s just one area, it’s more about the ability to develop those relationships and the excitement to do that, and I’m fired up.”



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Kentucky outlasts Wisconsin 3-2 in five-set thriller

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Kentucky outlasts Wisconsin 3-2 in five-set thriller


No. 1 Kentucky outlasted No. 3 Wisconsin 3-2 in the five-set thriller to earn a trip the the NCAA national championship. The Wildcats clinch their first national final appearance since winning the title in the Spring of 2021 and second in program history. 

In front of a sold-out T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO., Big Blue rallied in a dramatic fashion after a devastating 25-12 loss in Set 1. Kentucky was able to punch back in Set 2, earning the 25-22 victory before dropping the next set 25-21 to the Badgers. 

With their backs against the wall, the Cats fought off a rallying Wisconsin team for the 26-24 Set 4 victory to push the match to five. 

With momentum on their side, Kentucky took back what it lost in the first and fired on all cylinders in the fifth. The Cats raced out to a 6-1 lead early in the fifth before clinching the 15-13 win, hitting a match-best .409. 

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Outside Eva Hudson powered 29 kills on .455 hitting with seven digs, two blocks and a service ace to power the Kentucky winm while Brooklyn DeLeye tallied 15. The Big Blue defense made the difference, registering eight big-time blocks against a career-night by Wisconsin’s Mimi Colyer. 

With the Wildcat win, Kentucky clinches a spot in the national championship to face No. 3 Texas A&M for the first ever all-SEC final in NCAA women’s volleyball history. 

Final stats here. 





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