The transfer portal has been a struggle for the Cats thus far. Mark Pope has had some swings and misses.
As of this writing, Tyran Stokes has not announced his commitment between Kentucky, Kansas and Oregon. The Crystal Ball still has the nation’s top recruit trending toward the Jayhawks. I am hoping that by the time this is printed, he will have shocked everyone and chosen the Wildcats.
If Kentucky misses out on him, there will be a large gap to fill.
Rumors are also flying that a fifth year will be awarded to future athletes. Supposedly, this will not be retroactive, which means Otega Oweh would not qualify, unfortunately. The new rule is expected to be voted on in May and would add another layer of craziness to college basketball.
John Calipari snuck one in on Kentucky and landed Miikka Muurinen, “Slim Jesus,” who was projected to North Carolina with the Wildcats also in the mix.
Thus far, Kentucky has Kam Williams, Trent Noah, Braydon Hawthorne and Reece Potter returning. Malachi Moreno is testing NBA Draft waters but is expected to return.
Newcomers include Zoom Diallo, a 6-foot-4 guard from Washington; Alex Wilkins, a guard from Furman; Ousmane N’diaye, a 6-foot-11 center from Senegal who has played professionally overseas; Zyon Hawthorne, the brother of Braydon, who is a combo guard; and point guard Mason Williams.
Missing out on Stokes would be a huge letdown, especially considering Kentucky has already missed on some major recruits.
Diallo averaged 15.7 points per game while shooting 48.9%. He shot 31.5% from 3-point range in his sophomore campaign after hitting just 18.2% as a freshman. He also shot 82.5% from the free-throw line and averaged 4.5 assists per game.
Wilkins put up 17.8 points per game on 46% shooting. His 3-point and free-throw percentages were similar at 32.8% and 82.4%, respectively, and he averaged 4.7 assists per contest.
Pope is clearly looking for production in the backcourt after Jaland Lowe was injured for most of the season and Kentucky lacked depth at the point guard position.
Adding not only size but bulk to the post is key to competing for a championship. Michigan looked like grown men on the floor.
Pope is feeling the pressure but let him cook. There does not seem to be a nicer guy for the job.
But will that translate into hanging banner No. 9?
Keep hope.
And go Cats.
Brittni McCoy is the sports editor at the Mountain Citizen.