Just a few days ago, the vibes around the Kentucky basketball program were turning around following its blowout loss to Iowa State in the NCAA Tournament, ending Mark Pope's second campaign in Lexington. New assistant coach Mo Williams was visiting houses around campus and asking for banners to be hung for recruits. The No. 1 overall prospect, Tyran Stokes, was on campus. The momentum was building.
And then, the reckoning. Just like that, the narrative was completely flipped.
BYU transfer Rob Wright left campus and returned to the Cougars, after visitng at the same time as Stokes. Priority target Donnie Freeman then spurned the Wildcats for Rick Pitino and St. John's, and Tyran Stokes concluded his visit with Kansas still viewed as the heavy favorite. Unless Mark Pope can pull off a massive upset for Stokes, the "Banner Boys" are staring down a brutal 0-3 tally.
Speaking on ESPN Radio, Kentucky Kernel reporter Jenna Lifshen perfectly summed it up:
"“There were so many recruits on campus and it seemed like it was trending in the ways they wanted but then it flipped on its head... I think Kentucky is the team learning the downsides of the NIL portal more than anyone right now.”"
The Root of the Problem
Lifshen is speaking the truth about the portal's unforgiving nature. Kentucky went all-in on several players that ultimately turned heel. And, while these misses hurt, they are simply the latest symptom of a worrying underlying issue.
Kentucky wouldn't be this desperate if the staff had secured even a decent high school class. But they didn't.
Had Jasper Johnson worked out and stayed in Lexington, or had Pope landed additional, notable high school prospects outside of Mason Williams, whiffing in the portal wouldn't sting nearly as much. You can bear a misdirection from a player when your roster's foundation is strong.
Right now, though, the Cats' foundation has a lot of cracks. The current roster consists of Zoom Diallo, Alex Wilkins, Mason Williams, Zyon Hawthorne, Kam Williams, Trent Noah, Reece Potter, and Braydon Hawthorne, with Malachi Moreno still technically testing the NBA Draft waters.
Tick, Tick, Tick...
Mark Pope doesn't have the luxury of spending the week licking his wounds, regardless. The deadline for new players to enter the transfer portal has now officially passed, meaning the pool of available talent is permanently capped.
The guys who are already in can now take as much time as they want to negotiate their NIL value and choose their destination. With a roster that is barely over halfway built, Kentucky is in a tight spot.
Mark Pope has to receive multiple commitments, and he has to do so soon. Because if the remaining options dry up, the Wildcats will be left dancing alone.
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