CINCINNATI -- Thanks to a lack of high school recruiting, Kentucky basketball's 2026-27 roster is going to be filled mostly with Transfer Portal players. That's fine. Mark Pope has shown he can build a roster through the portal when he gets it right. The key is that he has to get guys that fit his system and can play together.
While some of the players from last year's team entering the Transfer Portal may come as a surprise to some fans, this can actually be a good thing. Cleaning house after a 14-loss season is okay. After all, many people are doing their Spring cleaning around this time.
Three players stand out for their scoring abilities. The common factor is that all three can drill it from deep. Let's take a look at each of them and what they could bring to the Wildcats.
Three intriguing scorers Mark Pope must sign
1. Tyler Tanner
The last time we saw Tyler Tanner this past season, he was lying on the court in agony after just missing a miracle half-court shot that would have sent Vanderbilt to the Sweet 16 against Nebraska. It was literally in-and-out from beyond half-court.
But coming that close wasn't just by some miracle or luck. It was the culmination of a season where Tanner showed his scoring abilities and ability to shoot from three-point range.
Tanner led the Commodores in scoring this past season, averaging 19.5 points a night. He also led Vanderbilt with 184 assists and 86 steals. In addition, Tanner shot 48.5 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from three-point range.
In 36 games this past season, Tanner scored in double figures in every game but one. He scored 20+ points 16 times and 30+ points twice in SEC play. Tanner saved his best for the NCAA Tournament, scoring 26 points in the First Round against McNeese and 27 points against the Huskers.
From beyond the arc, Tanner had nine games with three or more three-pointers. He only had one game with double-digit shots from beyond the arc, but he's still a reliable weapon from three-point range when he does take shots from there.
This past season earned Tanner many accolades, including All-SEC First Team, All-SEC Tournament Team, and Honorable Mention All-American by two outlets. Perhaps most important, in addition to what he can do offensively, is that he was on the SEC's All-Defensive Team this past season.
As a Freshman, Tanner set the Vanderbilt Freshman record with 55 steals. In addition, he led all of Power Four conferences with a 4.2 assist-to-turnover ratio and was the only major conference player with 60+ assists and less than 15 turnovers. In that season, Tanner became the only player in college basketball since at least 1996-97 with 50 assists, 50 steals, and less than 15 turnovers.
Tanner has had a great first two seasons of college basketball. His ability on the offensive end to score and shoot, combined with his knack for taking the ball away, makes him a strong foundation piece for the Cats if he comes to Kentucky. Tanner will have his full share of suitors in the portal, but Mark Pope needs to make this one happen.
2. Camren Hunter
I'm a big fan of this guy. Here's a player whose college career began in the 2021-22 season, and he has one season of eligibility remaining. Hunter was also the 2026 Atlantic Sun Player of the Year.
He spent his first three seasons at Central Arkansas before transferring to Wisconsin for the 2024-25 season. But he came back to Central Arkansas this past season, and whoa did he deliver. In seven of his last 14 games, Hunter scored 30+ points. That includes a sensational 49-point performance in the Atlantic Sun Tournament Championship Game against Queens, where he made eight three-pointers.
That's another thing about Hunter. He can shoot. In those last 14 games, Hunter had seven games with at least three three-pointers. He had four games with four three-pointers and two with six.
Only twice last year did Hunter not take 10 shots in a game. Shooters keep shooting, and that's what Hunter does. He shot 50.6 percent from the field last year.
It would be a big leap from the Atlantic Sun to the SEC, but we saw Ansley Almonor and Amari Williams make leaps from smaller conferences to the SEC in Pope's first season. Hunter can be another player who makes that same kind of leap.
Hunter only played 11 games with the Badgers in 2024-25, but he still got a taste of Power Four Basketball. In his two other seasons he played at Central Arkansas, Hunter averaged 14.1 and 16.9 points per game, respectively.
Here's a player who can score at a prolific rate and shoot.
3. Brett Decker Jr.
Decker is emerging as an elite shooter, and he's a player who fits right in with Pope's system. Like Hunter at Central Arkansas, Decker would be making a big jump from Liberty and Conference-USA, but he is capable of doing it.
Earning All-Conference-USA First Team honors this past season. Decker shot an amazing 47.1 percent from three-point range and 49.9 percent overall from the field. That's a player Kentucky needs.
This past season, Decker scored 20+ points 11 times and made five three-pointers in a game 10 times. A player that can score and shoot, that's Decker to a T.
But, perhaps, the biggest thing about Hunter is that he is a Kentucky kid. Playing at Central Hardin High School, Decker was a two-time 5th Region Player of the Year and averaged 22 points per game as a Senior.
Decker should be a target for Pope and the Wildcats, especially since he is from the Bluegrass State.
Mark Pope has shown he can get it right like in year 1, but he can't have another offseason hampered by bad choices in the portal like last season. These three guys are a start, but there is a long way to go for Kentucky.