You guys want bad news first or good news?
Let us go with bad. University of Kentucky head coach Mark Pope struck out on Tyran Stokes. The top recruit chose Kansas and left a gap for the Cats.
Now for the good news: Malachi Moreno has withdrawn from the NBA draft and is coming back home.
The homegrown Wildcat averaged 7.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He dished out 64 assists, swatted 53 shots and swiped 19 steals.
Moreno’s ceiling is in the clouds and he bleeds blue. This is what Cats fans have wanted for years.
But Pope has some fans scratching their blue wigs over the other pieces of the puzzle.
Three spots remain. The 12th member to join the Wildcats for the upcoming season is another Kentucky native – Jerone Morton.
Kentucky boys now fill one-third of the roster.
Morton is a transfer with one year of eligibility. He hails from George Rogers Clark and won the KHSAA state championship in 2022.
Morton played two years at Morehead State and last season for Washington State, where he averaged 7.8 points and 2.6 assists per game as a 6-foot-4 guard. He shot 43.8% from the floor and 38.7% from deep.
The question remains: Who will be the star? Who will be our go-to for replacing Otega Oweh?
With the roster still up in the air, some schedule changes have been announced.
The series between Kentucky and Gonzaga is now a no-go. Both sides agreed amicably to discontinue their annual meet-up.
But rumor has it that both teams will play in an eight-team Diamond Cup.
The Cats will play Stokes and the Jayhawks early in the season Nov. 10 in Chicago. An opportunity for Bill Self to rub salt in the wound.
An old rivalry fired back up last year. The Hoosier/Wildcat marquee matchup will take place again in the upcoming season with the Cats crossing state lines into Indiana the Sunday after Christmas.
Hopefully, we take some gifts from the eastern Kentucky coalfields to spoil the holiday season for the Poosiers.
With Moreno back, Cats fans can bask in the sun for this week.
But will the rest of the roster come to fruition?
For the time being, pull up a chair, kick back and relax.
And go Cats.
Brittni McCoy is the sports editor at the Mountain Citizen.