If you hadn't noticed by all the wild rumors flowing, we have officially entered silly season, and it’s already getting out of control.
We are going to be looking for all the news about who is going where, who is staying home, and what elite recruits are going to pick which programs. Kentucky basketball is certainly not immune to the silliness. In fact, it may even be peak silly.
Let's break down the latest rumors surrounding the program's wild summer rebuild.
Player meetings and roster decisions are fluid
Yes, stay-or-go player meetings are actively ongoing. And decisions about who will actually be back are entirely fluid; they will change a lot over the next few days. Those ultimate choices will be made in advance of the transfer portal's official April 7th opening. It allows the coaching staff to know which positions they need to fill, and it allows players and their agents to get their name out there.
We already know elite prospect Mason Williams will be here, and his dad, Mo Williams, is going to take one of the open jobs on the bench. But who else will stay?
All eyes are glued to social media. You guys are probably refreshing your feeds 100 times a day to see if anything breaks. That is a smart strategy right now; expect some big-time roster movement within the next 48 hours, as players' meetings will conclude.
We will soon know who Mark Pope will be welcoming back, and who will he will be replacing.
But it is not just the players that subject to the rumors.
The wild Jamal Crawford and Tyran Stokes rumors
This is where things get a little crazy. With a spot open on the bench, a massive rumor is circulating that legendary NBA 6th man Jamal Crawford is going to join the Kentucky staff. I mean, you can see that happening. He would join Mo Williams and provide an NBA presence on Kentucky's bench. But it's not just him who is supposed to be coming. Crawford is rumored to be bringing five-star phenom Tyran Stokes with him. Why would that happen?
Crawford is currently coaching Stokes at Rainier Beach High School.
There were heavy rumors of an imminent Stokes commitment to Kansas, but those have since died down, and it is now being reported that a decision is still another week or so away. And people are trying to add 2 and 2 to get 4.
The truth is, Tyran Stokes is an incredibly private kid, and this has been a private recruitment. He is not going to let it slip early where he is going, so do not believe anyone claiming otherwise. All you have to do is look at the history of this strange recruitment. Around Halloween, he was heavily linked to Kentucky. There was a time the momentum shifted to Arkansas, then Oregon came in, and finally, Kansas is now the current leader. He could legitimately go to any of them.
I would suggest just waiting for Stokes to tell everyone where he is going. But it also brings us to the portal.
Tracking elite talent in the transfer portal
Finally, we have the portal itself that will largely define Mark Pope's 3rd year, and maybe career, in Lexington. The names are already starting to surface as players get ready to move.
According to a report from Jacob Polacheck of KSR, Kentucky is expected to be heavily involved with Butler guard Finley Bizjack this offseason. Bizjack is an absolute bucket-getter who was named to the All-Big East Third Team after averaging 17.1 points per game this season.
Mark Pope is also expected to take a serious look at San Diego State transfer Miles Byrd, the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year.
And Kentucky native Brett Decker Jr. announced his decision to leave Liberty. This one is not going to be a cakewalk, think Koby Brea's recruitment. Everyone is going to be involved in this one, but Mark Pope needs to bring him home. Decker shot 47% on 242 3-point attempts.
Kentucky needs shooters, and Decker may be the best one available.
If there’s a theme here, it’s obvious, Kentucky is targeting shooting and perimeter defense.
There will be a brand new name or two surfacing every single day for a while. Get used to the chaos, and stay with us as we cover all the breaking news.