Mark Pope could be pushing for a 5-star team up that would have Kentucky fans elated

You win some and you lose some, BBN, even when it comes to five-star prospects. Mark Pope was able to secure five-star forward Ryan Hampton for Kentucky's 2027 class before striking out on fellow highly touted stud Marcus Spears Jr., who would go on to reclassify to this year's pool of players and become direct competition in the SEC with Texas. Yet, even after the latter disappointment, Kentucky remains in contention for two more top-ranked guys.

In fact, Adan Diggs and DeMarcus Henry are currently the No. 2 and No. 4prospects respectively in the 2027-28 group. As Joe Tipton reports interest in a potential joint destination between Diggs and Henry (who are teammates with Vegas Elite on the Nike EYBL circuit), it's more than worth noting that the Cats are on the list of shared schools between them both.

Not only is this a path to immediate recruiting redemption for Coach Pope, but landing both these guys, in whatever outlandish world makes that possible, would catapult Kentucky's 2027 class into the national limelight in a way that the program hasn't seen since Calipari's golden years.

For the pencil pushers, that'd be three five-star names, two of which make up the first and second overall spots. With that on the table, in any capacity, Pope and his staff should be swinging for the rafters of Rupp Arena.

Swinging for a Five-Star Duo in Adan Diggs and DeMarcus Henry

Kentucky, while not necessarily leading the pack for Henry, may have a special case to make in his recruitment if Pope can find a way to pull away early regarding Diggs. As the latter is in the mix to set up visits, the Bluegrass should be pushed to the absolute top of his list.

As far as where the pair fits with Hampton... it's tight. At 6-foot-6, Kentucky's current commitment would most likely click into the three-spot as things currently stand. That would leave Henry (6-foot-7) at the four, and Diggs (6-foot-5) set for the two.

That may be an unorthodox front three, especially given Pope's more traditional, primary weapon structure, but why not take a flyer on that much talent upfront?

Both Henry and Diggs averaged 19 points or better on the EYBL circuit, while Hampton pushed his scoring metric north of 20 per contest. It's the kind of star-first approach that ulitmately sunk the Calipari era, but with the implied possibility of returners from this year's roster holding over to benefit the 2027-28 team.

The three five-stars at hand joined with Zoom Diallo or Alex Wilkins, as well as Ousmane N'Diaye? The vision there is clear, even if overzealous, and one that Cats fans should be thrilled to see Kentucky even try to chase. In the middle of summer, why not daydream about what could be in Lexington?

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