Kentucky
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
Kentucky
Northern Kentucky Education Council honors NKY educators with 2026 Excellence in Education Awards
Sadiqa Reynolds was removed from the University of Louisville board of trustees last week, as the Kentucky Senate did not confirm her appointment before they adjourned the 2026 legislative session.
Reynolds, the former president of the Louisville Urban League, was appointed to a six-year term on the board last April by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.
Under state law, gubernatorial appointees to boards must be confirmed by the state Senate during the subsequent legislative session in order to stay in that position. While the Republican supermajority filed and passed more than 50 resolutions to confirm appointees, none were filed to confirm Reynolds.
Reynolds told Kentucky Public Radio this week that she was not given any reason for why the Senate failed to confirm her, but suspected Republicans wanted her out due to her open criticism of the attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in education by President Donald Trump and the legislature.
“Attacks on education are attacks on our democracy,” Reynolds said. “There is no honor in following the lead of Kentucky Republicans when they are hellbent on destroying any gains we have made in this country.”
Reynolds added that it was “a badge of honor” to be rejected by Senate Republicans.
“Fascists refused to confirm me,” she said. “One little woman with one voice. I have never felt more powerful.”
Asked why Republican leadership did not confirm Reynolds, a Senate GOP spokesperson replied that “there was no resolution filed by a Democrat or Republican for the Senate to consider.”
Republican senators — who make up 84% of the chamber — filed all of the 50-plus resolutions to confirm Beshear appointees. Only one Senate bill filed by a Democrat was passed into law this session.
Senate Democrats did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the chamber not confirming Reynolds.
Scottie Ellis, the spokesperson for Gov. Beshear, replied in a statement that Reynolds “is an accomplished leader and University of Louisville alumna who cares about the direction of the school and served on its Board of Trustees with pride and integrity. Her removal is the latest politically motivated move by the Republican-led General Assembly, who are ultimately hurting UofL and its students with this baseless action.”
Asked to comment on Reynolds’ removal from the board of trustees, U of L spokesman John Karman said it was “not our decision,” adding that “the university is appreciative of Trustee Reynolds for her service and grateful for her contributions as a member of the Board of Trustees.”
Reynolds was critical not just of the Trump administration’s actions targeting DEI initiatives, but legislation passed into law by the Kentucky General Assembly in 2025 to ban all DEI initiatives at public colleges. She added that she pushed the university not to “overcomply” with such efforts and challenge them legally, or “at least explain the impact of compliance to the legislators and to the public.”
“People are so afraid to ask questions and challenge them, and I was not afraid,” she said. “Republicans have heard what I said and didn’t like it.”
Reynolds was not the only Beshear appointee to not be confirmed by the Senate. Though Republicans filed a resolution to confirm Michael Abell to the Fish and Wildlife Resources Commission, they did not vote on it before the legislature adjourned.
Responding to Abell’s removal last week, Ellis said the Senate GOP “once again refused to confirm a commissioner nominated by the Kentucky sportsmen and appointed by the Governor. This is now the eighth time they have done so. Kentuckians should be very worried about the operations at Fish & Wildlife.”
Reynolds was formerly a judge and top aide to former Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, until she was named CEO of the Louisville Urban League in 2015. She left that position in 2022 to become CEO of the Perception Institute, a New York City think tank that counters bias and discrimination. Reynolds stepped down from that position last fall to focus fully on the Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center, a West End sports complex she pushed for while at the Urban League.
The Louisville Urban League president that succeeded Reynolds in 2022 was fired after four months, then filed a lawsuit against the nonprofit alleging she was wrongfully terminated for airing concerns about its finances and allegations of conflicts of interest involving the sports complex. A mistrial was declared in that case, and a new trial was granted last month.
Collin Chandler’s arrival at BYU was a long time coming, and left fans in suspense for over four years. The highest-rated recruit in program history at the time, Chandler first committed to BYU basketball four years ago before departing on his two-year missionary service. The timing of his return couldn’t have been worse, as he arrived soon after the news that head coach Mark Pope would be leaving Provo for the same position at a blue blood and his alma mater, Kentucky.
Deny it and fight it as much as you can, but there was no avoiding the truth: Collin Chandler would be out the door in Provo before ever suiting up for the Cougars.
But now in the present day, two years through his collegiate career, Collin Chandler is back in Provo. Now under a new regime, Chandler hopes to fill the void left by Richie Saunders’ departure, and assume a leadership role with the program he left years ago.
All is forgiven for the prodigal son, but hearing why Chandler jumped ship from Lexington for a spot back in the Beehive State makes his decision to transfer from UK all the more fascinating. In a radio interview with ESPN The Fan, the blonde blur opened up about his choice to return home.
“There are a lot of great things about BYU off the court. But basketball-wise, I’m most excited about development,” the junior guard shared. “Coach [Kevin] Young’s NBA experience is unique. I want to play at the next level, and learning from someone with that background is huge.”
“I’ve talked to players who’ve worked with him, and they all say development is his strength. That’s what really stood out to me.”
Chandler continued, sharing the relationships that helped him confirm his decision to take another shot at BYU.
“I talked to Richie Saunders,” Chandler noted. “I also have a good relationship with [former BYU player] Trevin Knell since we had the same high school coach. They both gave me great insight and helped me think through everything.”
Collin went a bit further on the Saunders comparisons, acknowledging where their skill sets overlap.
“First off, being compared to Richie Saunders is an honor. He’s left an incredible legacy at BYU. With new rosters come new styles, but I think this year’s team will play fast, share the ball, and make plays for each other. We’ve got a lot of guys who can handle the ball, so I see myself as part of that—making plays, playing fast, and being part of a fun system.”
On the topic of players Chandler would be teaming up with at his new program, he noted some teammates he had already shared the floor with as well as others who he looked forward to familiarizing himself with.
“Experience is huge,” Chandler noted. “That’s something I learned at Kentucky; having guys who know the system makes a big difference. Having someone like Rob Wright back is big. […] Jake Wahlin [former Timpview alumni and Clemson transfer] is someone I know really well. We played AAU together and faced off in high school. I’m excited to play with him again.”
Finally, on the topic of his return to BYU, Chandler’s off-court priorities paired with Kevin Young’s unique on-court capabilities made the Cougars the obvious favorites.
“Utah has a great staff and is building something strong, but I love the culture at BYU. I love what Coach Young is building and the foundation that’s already there.”
“It just felt like home.”
Chandler will be a junior at BYU this season, and hopes to build an NBA portfolio strong enough to carry the Farmington, Utah, native to the highest level of professional hoops. If Kevin Young’s NBA bootcamp is as good as Chandler believes it to be, you’ll see him taking great strides this season.
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