Mo Dioubate, Brandon Garrison, Jasper Johnson and Jaland Lowe have all entered the transfer portal as of this writing.
Malachi Moreno announced he will test the NBA Draft waters but plans to return to Kentucky if he does not hear what he wants, and I am about 99% sure he will be back. That is fantastic news.
He has huge upside, and despite a few lackluster games to end the season, he stepped up when Garrison trended the other way. The Mardi Gras miracle shot in the win over LSU this year is what UK players dream of. I am forever a fan.
Trent Noah, Kam Williams, Collin Chandler, Andrija Jelavic and Braydon Hawthorne are all still to be determined.
Chandler seems to genuinely be a Mark Pope guy, so I could see him returning, and I truly hope he does. I love watching him play.
Noah is more of a toss-up. He struggles defensively and doesn’t have a quick enough release to consistently beat SEC defenses. But there is just something about seeing him in a Kentucky uniform that makes you want it to work.
It was not enough to keep Travis Perry, though, so who knows.
Even though Denzel Aberdeen has graduated and is no longer eligible, he has entered the portal and is seeking a waiver. That’s a head scratcher. But we have seen some crazy stuff when it comes to eligibility in the last few years.
Jayden Quaintance is gone for sure to the NBA Draft. Big surprise there. Eye roll.
And then there is the biggest piece Kentucky has to replace, Otega Oweh.
What a ride.
From game-winners and half-court heaves to this year’s miracle shot against Santa Clara that helped secure another year for Mark Pope, Oweh gave Kentucky fans everything.
He scored in double figures in 35 of 36 games, poured in 671 points during his senior season, the most ever by a UK transfer in a single year, and finished his Kentucky career with 1,255 points in just two seasons. That’s the most ever by a Wildcat in his first two years and the second-most by any transfer in program history.
Simply put, he was special.
Kentucky’s only high school commitment in the class is four-star point guard Mason Williams, the first commit of the Mark Pope era. His father, former NBA All-Star Mo Williams, is now on staff in Lexington.
Meanwhile, the nation’s top recruit, Tyran Stokes, still hasn’t decided between Kansas and Kentucky.
With Bill Self announcing his return to the Jayhawks and putting off retirement due to what he called “renewed clarity,” that’s not exactly encouraging for Cats fans. Crystal ball projections are trending toward Kansas.
And with Dioubate now in the portal, what I believe is Kentucky’s biggest loss so far that could have returned, the Cats lose a major inside presence.
When his jumper was not falling, Dioubate made up for it with effort. Hustle plays. Tough boards. The kind of 50/50 plays Kentucky did not consistently win this season.
There are multiple games the Cats could not have won without him.
But here is the reality of college basketball now.
The transfer portal changes everything.
Michigan just became the first team in NCAA history to win a national championship with a starting lineup made entirely of transfers.
So yes, not having a loaded recruiting class would normally be a reason to panic.
Now, not so much.
I still have hope for Pope.
But if next year is a bust, bring back Rick.
Go Cats.
Brittni McCoy is the sports editor at the Mountain Citizen.