Kentucky men’s basketball to hold open tryout

Kentucky men’s basketball coach Mark Pope announced Friday that the program will host an open tryout later this month for potential walk-ons for the 2024-25 season.

The Wildcats, a preseason top-25 team, are asking interested players to submit their height, weight, position and contact information for their high school basketball coach.

The tryout is open to all academically eligible, full-time Kentucky students. According to the announcement, the team will narrow its list of potential walk-ons and invite preferred candidates to the tryout Aug. 30.

Though an open tryout is rare for a blue-blood college basketball program, Kentucky is not the first to hold one.

Just last year, Louisville coach Kenny Payne held such a tryout and asked the public to send walk-ons “our way” because the team was desperate to add more talent during a challenging season.

In women’s basketball, TCU was forced to add four walk-ons last season through an open tryout after multiple players were sidelined with injuries.

To be clear, Kentucky is not in such a situation.

The Wildcats will be led by transfers Jaxson Robinson and Lamont Butler, along with a collection of talent that Pope — who as a player helped Kentucky win a national title in 1996 — has assembled for his first year coaching in Lexington.