"I am excited about recruiting for next year...We are at play with some players that fit us that could be really special here. We are in the process of recruiting our own players and recruiting players that are still available, and then this portal will be really important to us." That was Mark Pope at the end of last month discussing recruiting on his radio show. Have things gotten any better since then?
Not really, Kentucky's two best chances at landing elite talent come with red flags.
Kentucky basketball recruiting is in a slump
Things started hot for the Cats. They looked to lock in Christian Collins, were a leader for Tyran Stokes and had shots at players like Jordan Smith, Brandon McCoy, and others. And yet, they have missed on most of them. Stokes is a Kansas lean, Christian Collins is now predicted to stay in California for USC, Jordan Smith is likely a Razorback, and Brandon McCoy is cooling off.
There are tons of reasons why these things happen. It could be the fact that Mark Pope likes to play 10 players and spread minutes around. Most high-major guys want 32+ minutes a game to showcase their ability. The team leader in MPG so far this season is Otega Oweh at 30, and the next closest is Denzel Aberdeen at 28. Keep in mind this is also a team missing 3 players who would be eating up minutes, so it is unlikely these guys would be as high as they are if Lowe, Quaintance, and Williams were healthy and playing.
It could also be JMI and NIL. There are tons of online rumors out there about how it is hurting Kentucky basketball. You would think it would affect Will Stein if it were system-wide, and he is killing it on the recruiting trail right now. Plus, Mark Pope has talked about how great the support system is. Could he be lying? Sure, I guess you could say that, but I'm not buying that it's JMI.
Jason Hart and Alvin Brooks are known as good closers on the recruiting trail, so they have the horses to get guys in. Granted, Mark Pope has never recruited at this level, but he never really had the resources to either. So, it is possible he is hurting himself on the recruiting trail.
Kentucky's best bet of landing an elite prospect is either Sayon Keita or Miikka Muurinen
We talked in-depth about Sayon Keita here. The 17-year-old phenom has been playing basketball for less than a decade, but has scouts drooling over his versatile style. He moved to Spain and has been playing for FC Barcelona at both the B team and senior team levels.
Miikka Muurinen was once thought to bypass college altogether as he went to Finland to play professionally and fast-track to the NBA. But the Euroleague has been unkind to Miikka, and college seems to be his best route if he wants to get to the NBA. He announced late last year that he would be pursuing the college path.
In an interview with SKWEEK, Muurinen said:
"It's a one-year stop, you know, to grow up as much as I can, get everything out of this opportunity, and then bring that to college, hopefully, and then the NBA."
Miikka is a long and an incredibly gifted athlete. His outside shot is consistent, and he plays with real aggressiveness. While he is not as physically strong as some who play the 4, his length at 6-10 can be a problem for a lot of players.
But now they are betting on landing two players with foreign pro experience. That is a dangerous slope, because the NCAA could always change its eligibility rules at any time, and turn Pope's excitement into more frustration and missed recruits.