It’s hard to say that the No. 1 recruit in the country taking a visit to your school after already signing with another simply to troll your entire program and fanbase isn’t the low point of the offseason, but Mark Pope may have found a way to sink even lower.Â
A week after Stokes chose Kansas, Pope flew overseas to Israel to meet with 23-year-old Brazilian forward Marcio Santos. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound big man averaged 6.9 points a game in 14.5 minutes for Macabi Tel Aviv this season, and projects as an instant impact starter in the college game.Â
The problem is, he’ll be making that impact for Will Wade, not Mark Pope. After Pope’s much-publicized trip overseas, Santos committed to LSU on Wednesday, forcing Pope to pivot once again.Â
This time, while there is still overseas talent to pursue, Pope’s may be forced to play the waiting game to salvage an utterly infuriating offseason.Â
Kentucky’s best path to a real contender is to wait for the NBA Draft withdrawal date
For a few years, players have been able to test the NBA Draft waters while retaining their eligibility. The players who do so tend to fall into two camps: those who are assuredly returning but want the exposure and experience the NBA Draft Combine affords, and those who are legitimately exploring an NBA future and hoping for a first-round promise.Â
While the former group, players like Michigan point guard Elliot Cadeau, and NC State transfer Matt Able, who has committed to UNC, tend to find their next college destination early in the process. The latter group often remains uncommitted, with all of their focus on the draft. Rarely is there a Cedric Coward situation in which a top transfer makes a commitment and then remains in the draft.Â
This year, there are 3 top transfers entered in the NBA Draft who remain uncommitted: Milan Momcilovic, Allen Graves, and Tounde Yessoufou. If the combine goes poorly for any or all of them, they could be Pope’s saving grace.Â
All three could theoretically be targets for Kentucky, and there has been a rumored connection between the program and Momcilovic, who was the best shooter in college basketball last year.Â
With four transfers in tow and one four-star high school commit, Kentucky has one of the most tenuous roster situations in the country. Like Momcilovic, Yessoufou, and Graves, Malachi Moreno’s NBA Draft decision will be incredibly important to the success of Pope’s offseason.
Still, even if Moreno returns and Momcilovic withdraws and commits, that’s not quite enough to vault the Cats into immediate contention. It may, however, be enough to save Pope’s job because so far, this offseason should have him on a scorching hot seat.
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