Mark Pope won a national championship as a player for Rick Pitino in 1996. After John Calipari's shocking departure from the program in April, Pope is the new Kentucky basketball head coach. Pope played six years in the NBA and spent nine years as a head coach at Utah Valley State and BYU before accepting the Kentucky job. Now, he's completing rebuilding the Kentucky basketball roster on the fly after every scholarship player from Calipari's last squad left for the NBA, ran out of eligibility or entered the college basketball transfer portal.
However, Pope has been able to hit the ground running by using the transfer portal to resurrect a strong Kentucky basketball lineup. He's received commitments from seven transfers already, managed to hold on to one commitment from Calipari's Class of 2024 and added another incoming freshman earlier this week. If you love the Wildcats, or just want the latest roster updates and college basketball transfer portal news, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at CatsPause, the 247Sports affiliate that covers Kentucky.
The team of insiders at CatsPause.com are providing up-to-the-minute scoop on the latest intel surrounding the Kentucky basketball coaching transition and roster changes. CatsPause has built a solid reputation over its 20+ years covering the Wildcats, and has deep-rooted sources inside and around the Kentucky athletic department. And right now, CatsPause is offering 50% off the first year of an annual subscriptions*, so now is the time to sign up.
The team at CatsPause has full coverage of who is coming and who is going on the Kentucky basketball roster. Head to CatsPause now to see all the insider info.
Kentucky basketball roster departures
No sooner had Calipari departed Kentucky that a number of Wildcats from last year's roster were on the move as well. Aaron Bradshaw was the first to commit to a new team when he joined the Ohio State Buckeyes, while Zvonimir Ivisic became the first player from last season to follow Calipari to Arkansas. Calipari is also reportedly encouraging Bradshaw's high school teammate, D.J. Wagner, to join the Razorbacks.
The transfer portal isn't the only reason the Wildcats roster will look different next season. Antonio Reeves and Tre Mitchell, who were two of Kentucky's top scorers last season, are both graduating. Meanwhile, Justin Edwards, Rob Dillingham and Ugonna Onyenso have all declared for the 2024 NBA Draft. There is also movement within the recruiting class, so Pope's roster is clearly far from solidified for the 2024-25 season. Join CatsPause to see the latest on all of Kentucky's roster changes.
Kentucky basketball news, roster
When Calipari left, he took two top-25 prospects in the Class of 2024 with him along with D.J. Wagner, Adou Thiero and Zvonimir Ivisic. However, Pope has been able to respond by adding seven experienced players in the college basketball transfer portal. All seven players are four-star recruits and they all played significant roles for their respective teams in 2023-24.
Oklahoma State center Brandon Garrison, Oklahoma guard Otega Oweh and West Virginia guard Kerr Kriisa were all starters in the nation's best conference last year. Meanwhile, Duquesne's Amari Williams and San Diego State's Lamont Butler Jr. were both the defensive player of the year in their conference last season. Dayton's Koby Brea was the A-10 Sixth Man of the Year and Andrew Carr averaged 13.5 points per game for Wake Forest last year. Pope also held on to Class of 2024 four-star recruit Travis Ford and added a commitment from three-star wing Trent Noah earlier in the week. Join CatsPause to get the latest on all of Kentucky's roster additions.
How to get insider Kentucky basketball roster updates
Pope could also be bringing at least one big-time BYU player with him, so be sure to join CatsPause to see who that is and get the rest of the insider roster news.
Who are the top names Kentucky basketball is pursuing under coach Mark Pope, and what former BYU player could land in Lexington? Go to CatsPause to see their insider information, all from a team of reporters with years of experience covering the Wildcats, and find out. And reminder, CatsPause is offering 50% off the first year of an annual VIP membership*, so subscribe now before it's too late.
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