Kentucky may take the international route in a desperate hunt for roster firepower

Even at this (relatively) early offseason juncture, I think it's safe to say that the transfer portal hasn't exactly panned out the way Kentucky fans expected it to. Given all of the Rob Wright and Donnie Freeman drama, Big Blue Nation can't be blamed for coming apart at the seams, at least online.

Yet, fans shouldn't be quick to discount Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins. The presumed starting backcourt have the tools to be among the SEC's best, and serve as a solid one-two punch of players that each had other schools calling their name prior to a Kentucky commitment.

Yet Mark Pope's hunt for a starting power forward has yet to yield results of any kind. And now, per KSR and BigBlueDylan, the blue and white staff may be pivoting to options beyond the transfer portal to fill that dire spot, and potentially others with it.

Turning to International Recruiting

On that front, many new names have begun to arrise as ones Kentucky has reportedly contacted. Perhaps the most notable is Senagalese forward Ousmane N'Diaye, who averaged 10 points and seven boards in his most recent campaign overseas.

The six-foot-11 big man could stretch the floor with ease in Kentucky's offense, complimenting Malachi Moreno's anchor-like presence in the paint as a running mate that could pull defenders out to the arc.

In spite of having only shot a 32% clip from downtown this past season, N'Diaye's ability to shoot off the dribble and keep defenders of any size on their toes with his ball handling is what sets him apart.

His thin frame could prove worrisome in the SEC, but his experience in international professional environments should lend itself well to college hoops on the whole. See Brad Underwood and Illinois, who just made a Final Four run on the success of heavy international recruiting.

And again, N'Diaye isn't the only option (see Nicolas Martinez); this is more about the path Kentucky is choosing to take.

Taking a Positive Path

It's a positive path that, if the transfer portal continues to dry up, could yield Kentucky's needed talent through an equally reliable method. Of course, Andrija Jelavic wasn't everything BBN hoped he'd be this past season, but he showed more than enough flashes to lend credence to this recruiting method.

It helps (and doesn't) that Kentucky simply needs to make moves now, and make them soon. The team's ability to choose wanes by the day, as recruits leave campus without a commitment seemingly one after another.

Coach Pope has showed significant interest in international talent before, and now may be the time for him to go all-in and capitalize on it.

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