Mark Pope appears to be inching closer and closer to putting the finishing touches on his second roster as Kentucky men’s basketball’s head coach.

Pope already has the Wildcats up to 12 scholarship players for the 2025-26 season. Considering he was still three days away from even taking the job this time last year, the offseason couldn’t be off to a better start. Pope has added pure talent with Jayden Quaintance and a handful of four-star freshmen, more physicality and athleticism with Kam Williams and Mouhamed Dioubate, and an established point guard with Jaland Lowe.

Assuming all five of Otega Oweh, Collin Chandler, Brandon Garrison, Travis Perry, and Trent Noah return for next season (which is not a given), there won’t be many glaring holes in the roster going into Pope’s second season. But if we had to nitpick, one area of need is another top-end outside shooter, or at the very least, someone who can stretch the floor.

Kentucky has reached out to a trio of guards who fit this mold: Wesley Yates (Southern California), Lamar Wilkerson (Sam Houston State), and Jaron Pierre Jr. (Jacksonville State). Keep in mind these likely aren’t the only three shooters the UK staff has eyes on, but they are all clearly on the Big Board and have been publicly confirmed as targets. There’s plenty to like about all three.

Wesley Yates (Southern California)

Yates’ relationship with cousin Quincy Pondexter might override any pitch Kentucky can make. Pondexter was an assistant coach at Washington during Yates’ redshirt freshman season before the two linked up at Southern California this past season. Pondexter won’t be back at USC in 2025-26 and signs are pointing toward a return to Washington’s staff, where it would not be a shock to see him bring Yates with him once again.

However, if that ends up not being the case and Kentucky manages to land Yates, he would instantly fill up the missing shooting role. As a redshirt freshman in 2024-25, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Yates averaged 14.1 points on 43.9 percent shooting from beyond the arc (3.7 attempts per outing). As a full-time starter for the Trojans over his final 24 games, he shot 48-101 (47.5 percent) from deep. Yates graded out as a top 40 three-point shooter in all of Division I hoops. Firing off long-range shots is his bread and butter.

If Yates is willing to come on board, he’d be an easy take for Pope and the Kentucky staff.

Lamar Wilkerson (Sam Houston State)

After starting his career at JUCO and spending the next three seasons at Sam Houston State, Lamar Wilkerson is looking to put his name in the national conversation. He’s earned it, too. At 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, Wilkerson averaged 20.5 points per outing on 44.5 percent shooting from deep (7.7 attempts per game) in 2024-25.

While considered more than just a shooter, his three-point capabilities appeal to a school like Kentucky. He could immediately fill the hole left by Koby Brea. You won’t find many better sharpshooting options in the portal this offseason than Wilkerson.

Jaron Pierre Jr. (Jacksonville State)

Jaron Pierre Jr. was a breakout star at Jacksonville State this past season, winning Conference USA Player of the Year in his debut season with the league. His next school will be his fifth in six seasons. Pierre was mostly inefficient his first three years in college, but a year-long break in 2023-24 led him to shine at Jacksonville State. The 6-foot-5, 185-pound guard led the CUSA in scoring last season at 21.6 points per outing on shooting splits of 42.4/38.2/81.

Across his first three seasons in a relatively high-usage role, Pierre shot just 37.2 percent from the field and 31.4 percent from deep. But something clicked in 2024-25. His 777 points were more than anyone else scored in the country. He shot 104-272 from deep on the season. Playing over 1,300 minutes as a full-time starter, the sample size is more than big enough to indicate this development is real.

The thing about Pierre though, more so than the two mentioned above, is he’s someone used to having the ball in his hands at all times. He ranked among KenPom’s top 50 players last season in percentage of possessions used and percentage of shots taken. Pierre is more than just an outside shooter: he’s an all-around pure scorer. While clearly talented, Kentucky might not be able to offer the touches and shots he desires, especially with how deep the roster already is. But there’s no denying his ability to get buckets from anywhere on the floor.

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