Kentucky

Kentucky Basketball Roster Tracker: And then there were none

Published

2 years ago

April 20, 2024

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.

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 Reeves, Tre Mitchell, Justin Edwards, Rob Dillingham, Ugonna Onyenso, Reed Sheppard

TRANSFER PORTAL: Adou Thiero*, Aaron Bradshaw*, Joey Hart, Zvonimir Ivisic, DJ Wagner, Jordan Burks

* Also testing NBA Draft waters

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

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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

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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Kentucky

Where Kentucky turns following Donnie Freeman’s commitment to St. John’s

Published

3 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Where Kentucky turns following Donnie Freeman’s commitment to St. John’s

Kentucky quickly made its move on Syracuse star transfer Donnie Freeman in the portal, making immediate contact and hopping on a Zoom call before getting a visit scheduled for the following week. The Wildcats emerged as the likely landing spot, fighting off Alabama and UConn for his services — only for St. John’s and Tennessee to throw their hats into the ring and make their own late pushes going into the weekend.

There was serious optimism in Lexington that Mark Pope had batted down those Hail Mary throws by the Red Storm and Volunteers with a potential public commitment coming Sunday, only for the afternoon to turn into evening without a peep. Then came the late-night chatter that Rick Pitino had tossed another deep ball toward the end zone, an offer Freeman couldn’t refuse to ultimately land his services as the No. 19 overall player and No. 5 power forward in the On3 Industry Transfer Portal Rankings. Kentucky had its chance to keep the bidding war alive and potentially flip the momentum back, but the fat lady has officially sung.

That’s a tricky predicament for Pope and the Wildcats, who already passed on Colorado transfer and Florida State pledge Sebastian Rancik to continue their pursuit of Freeman. That came after Magoon Gwath (DePaul) and DeSean Goode (Miami (FL)), two other confirmed targets, committed elsewhere, along with the departures of Mo Dioubate (LSU) and Andrija Jelavic (Ohio State) from Pope’s second roster in Lexington.

So, uh, who is left for the Wildcats? Let’s separate the potential candidates into four categories.

“Gotta make Brad Stevens say no”

Two absolute gems remain at the position and could make all of the Pope Whiff doomers stop in their tracks: Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic and Santa Clara’s Allen Graves. You know both names because Kentucky played each of them in the NCAA Tournament, the former knocking the Wildcats out in the Round of 32 and the latter nearly doing so with a dagger in the final seconds of regulation — only to be topped by Otega Oweh’s half-court miracle at the buzzer.

They’re ranked No. 1 and No. 3 at the position, respectively, and are obvious home-run hits if UK can make contact. The issue? Despite entering the portal, they prefer to keep their names in the draft and will likely do so with first-round guarantees. A return to college isn’t impossible for either — Graves sits at No. 32 in ESPN’s latest draft rankings while Momcilovic comes in at No. 43 — but you won’t even get a meeting without $5M as a starting point, with the bidding likely finishing at or near the $6M mark. Are you ready to back up the Brinks truck? That’s the only option if you want the prized forwards.

Now, if you’re looking for better value, Saint Mary’s Paulius Murauskas and Iowa’s Alvaro Folgueiras are both technically available, sitting at No. 2 and 11 at the position, respectively. Kentucky has had exploratory conversations with both players — the latter was seen as a serious target this time last offseason, as well — and the talent is there. Murauskas averaged 18.4 PPG and 7.6 RPG on 48/33/84 splits with the Gaels this season and earned All-WCC honors in each of the last two years. That would do the trick. Folgueiras averaged 8.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 2.2 APG for the Hawkeyes, but is most famous for hitting the game-winning three to beat Florida in the NCAA Tournament. Maybe not a can’t-miss superstar, but pretty darn solid for a pivot.

But, heavy emphasis on technically available — because they both have On3 RPM picks in favor of other schools. Murauskas is projected to follow his former St. Mary’s coach, Randy Bennett, to Arizona State, while Folgueiras is expected to land at *sigh* Louisville. They haven’t made public commitments, but the clock is ticking and Pope would have to make up a lot of ground in a hurry.

Both are highly unlikely to wear the blue and white.

Realistic, but not a needle-mover

If you’re looking for somebody solid to join the fold, James Madison’s Justin McBride is the perfect candidate. Standing 6-7, 240 pounds following previous stops at Oklahoma State and Nevada, the versatile forward earned Third Team All-Sun Belt honors, averaging 15.3 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 1.5 APG on 49/40/78 splits as a junior in Harrisonburg. Before that, he averaged 7.8 PPG and 4.2 RPG as a sophomore with the Wolfpack and 2.5 PPG and 1.5 RPG as a freshman with the Cowboys.

Finding his fourth home in four years, McBride is scheduled to visit Lexington this week, he tells Jacob Polacheck of KSR+. That comes after a Zoom meeting with the staff last week.

He’s productive with experience as a journeyman, finally tapping into his potential as a former top-125 recruit out of high school after seeing his role increase as a junior. There is a lot to like there, but the idea was for the Plano, TX native to serve as a complementary plug-and-play backup, staggering minutes with the go-to starter. You absolutely take him, but with the idea that you still need much more.

Potential wildcards

No. 1 recruit Tyran Stokes is trending heavily toward Kansas — and he’s also more of a jumbo wing capable of playing 1-4 more than a true power forward — but the conversation starts there in terms of obvious names to upgrade talent on a roster desperate for upgrades. Whatever it takes if you’re Pope, no matter how unlikely.

The Wildcats have also been involved with No. 15 overall prospect Miikka Muurinen, who is undeniably talented, but there are maturity questions. North Carolina and Arkansas are among those to poke around, but there is a risk factor to keep in mind before automatically connecting those dots.

Pope went overseas to find Jelavic, so maybe that’s the path? It’s possible, but easier said than done when looking for obvious star talent. That was supposed to be the 6-11 forward, coming in with multiple years of eligibility and committing to Kentucky after a single conversation — exactly what you’d want when going down that road. The Wildcats weren’t able to see that process through and there is no guarantee the next international find won’t have similar year-one hiccups.

You also can’t rule out that another wave of portal announcements won’t come over the next 24 hours before things close tomorrow at midnight. Auburn’s Sebastian Williams-Adams is an intriguing option that popped up Monday, making himself available following a successful rookie season on the Plains. He started in 21 of 36 games for the Tigers, averaging 6.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 27.2 minutes per contest as a former four-star prospect out of high school.

You’re hoping and praying at that point that something presents itself that fits and elevates Kentucky’s ceiling in 2026-27. Odds are good — and someone will want to take the big pile of cash in Lexington — but no guarantees beyond the options already in front of us.

One thing we know for sure? Kentucky’s starting power forward will not be Donnie Freeman, and the search continues for Mark Pope.

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Kentucky

Kentucky will get a visit from a forward with three-point upside

Published

15 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

Kentucky will get a visit from a forward with three-point upside

Over the weekend, it was reported that the Kentucky Wildcats and coach Mark Pope had interest in former James Madison forward Justin McBride. Now, per Jacob Polacheck of Kentucky Sports Radio, McBride will take a visit to Lexington.

The report states that McBride will visit with Kentucky on Wednesday, Apr. 22. He had previously stated that he wanted to visit, but had to clear up some transcript issues first. It appears that things are worked out there now.

McBride is a 6’8″, 230 lb forward who has versatility. He averaged 15.3 points and 5.6 rebounds last season, but also made 40% of his three-point attempts, making him the kind of stretch big Pope likes to use. He could start, or be a valuable player off the bench.

Pope needs some recruiting wins, and he needs some depth for next year’s team. Right now, there are still more questions than answers, and Big Blue Nation is getting restless. We will update this story after his visit and more news becomes available.

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Kentucky

Vanderbilt baseball’s series win vs Kentucky revelatory

Published

1 day ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

Vanderbilt baseball’s series win vs Kentucky revelatory

Entering the weekend, Vanderbilt baseball had gotten swept in its only SEC series in which it hadn’t won the first game.

So the Commodores had a tough task in a series they badly needed after dropping the opener 5-2 on a walk-off grand slam after Vanderbilt’s best healthy starter, Connor Fennell, pitched well.

But the Commodores (24-17, 9-9 SEC) rebounded to take the series with an 8-7 win in the second game and a 13-6 win in the finale April 19. They did that despite not having any pitcher go more than three innings in either game. Though the pitching was still shaky at times — they issued more free passes than strikeouts in both of the wins — they worked out of enough jams to let the offense go to work.

Here’s what we learned from the series.

Will Hampton proves an unlikely hero for the offense

Vanderbilt got strong performances from a few of its typical top performers, including Braden Holcomb (6-for-13, four doubles) and Brodie Johnston (4-for-12, two home runs, three walks). But one of the biggest hits of the series came from the unlikeliest of sources.

Logan Johnstone was held out of the finale after colliding with Mike Mancini in Game 2, and in his place coach Tim Corbin opted to go with redshirt freshman Will Hampton in left field. Hampton had recorded just six college plate appearances, all of which were in nonconference games.

But Hampton reached in all three of his plate appearances against Kentucky, first on a single, then a walk. In the sixth inning, with the score tied, he came up with the bases loaded and two outs and blasted a grand slam, giving Vanderbilt its first lead.

Tyler Baird learns the ups and downs of being a closer

Freshman Tyler Baird has been Vanderbilt’s closer for the past three weeks, recording his first save April 2 against Texas A&M. But he learned the pitfalls that can come with that role in Game 1 against Kentucky. Summoned for an eight-out save with the Commodores leading 2-1, he retired the first five batters, but loaded the bases with nobody out in the ninth. He struck out the next two batters but then gave up the walk-off grand slam.

Baird returned for Game 3, this time attempting a five-out save and coming in with runners on first and second and one out with a three-run lead in the eighth inning. He allowed both inherited runners to score, but kept the lead and then had a scoreless ninth inning after Vanderbilt scored three runs in the top of the inning.

Baird’s emergence has been key for the Commodores, and the Game 3 bounce-back was especially important.

Vanderbilt’s RPI shows improvement

On April 15, Vanderbilt was 95th in RPI, a mark that wasn’t going to cut it for NCAA Tournament selection. But with a road series win against a Kentucky team that started the week in the top 20 of RPI, the Commodores moved all the way up to 75th, according to Warren Nolan.

While Vanderbilt will need to keep moving up — a top-50 mark would be ideal — the series win did a lot. In the next two weeks, it will face two top-five RPI teams in Alabama and Texas, giving more opportunity to improve its standing.

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.

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