2023-24 Kentucky basketball roster preview – Bigs

For the final installment, we preview the big guys. Unfortunately, Kentucky basketball fans can only speculate the potential with most of them sidelined with injuries. We have all heard coach Cal coin the phrase “We are missing 21 feet of post-play” which is referencing the massive void.

Although this might not be the era of bruising Centers like it was in the 1980s and 1990s, you still need size and length to be a true contender in March. The Wildcats will have to find creative solutions to start the season.

This is our final position group preview of the 2023-24 Kentucky basketball roster.

Bigs (4)

Tre Mitchell:

• Graduate Student
• 6-9, 231 pounds
• Transfer from West Virginia;
• Key 2022-23 stats: Started 32 of 34 games,11.5 PPG and 5.5 RPG

Mitchell is arguably the biggest surprise on the roster. Coming in as a late transfer from West Virginia, many fans were unaware of what Mitchell was going to bring to the team. He showed up in Toronto for the GLOBL Jam Tournament and impressed everyone with his skilled offensive abilities.

Playing as the only healthy big man on the roster, Mitchell has performed very well. In three preseason contests, he is shooting 69% from the field and has averaged three 3-pointers per game. If those numbers continue along with his veteran savvy to play defense without fouling, he’ll be able to log key minutes as the primary anchor at the 5 position.

Ugonna Onyenso:

• Sophomore
• 7-0, 247 pounds
• Appeared in 16 games as a freshman

Similar to Antonio Reeves’s offseason, Ugo was rumored to test the transfer options before announcing his return to Kentucky basketball.

There were flashes of development with Ugo throughout the early part of the 2022-23 season. Ugo got thrown in the fire in Tuscaloosa when Alabama exuded their complete ownership of the paint back in January. Since then, Kentucky fans have been curiously optimistic about his return to action, only to be spoiled by a once-believed minor foot injury during a closed practice in preparation for the GLOBL Jam Tournament in Toronto, Canada. At SEC Media Day in mid-October, John Calipari shared that he isn’t expecting Onyenso to return to practice for a few more weeks.

Aaron Bradshaw:

• Freshman
• 7-1, 226 pounds
• #5 Recruit (247Sports Composite)

Bradshaw comes to campus as another top recruit with NBA ready skills who hopes to use his time in college to gain strength and general improvements. Scouts are pretty consistent on Bradshaw as an athletic and mobile player who has the tools to do everything. Sometimes his effort and motor are questioned, but, overall, his impressive size and versatility give him a different gear that can’t be taught.

Zvonimir Ivišić:

• Freshman
• 7-2, 234 pounds
• From Croatia

The arrival of “Big Z” took several twists and turns but ultimately he was there when they introduced the players at Big Blue Madness. So far, everything about Big Z has been polarizing, including his eligibility. According to UK Athletics, Big Z has still yet to be officially cleared by the NCAA to participate in game competitions. Fans will remember a similar statement made in 2010 with Enes Kanter. Looks like we’ll have to wait a bit longer for Ivišić to suit up in the blue and white.