The Transfer Portal has turned college basketball recruiting into a 24/7 365 sprint. Just when you think you get near the finish line, you get told there is another mile to go.
After an incredibly underwhelming 22-14 campaign, that reality is hitting hard in Lexington today. As Mark Pope gets ready to sit down with players to work on the roster and their future.
Some of those guys are probably going to come back.
For others, it is entirely possible that the pressure of Lexington was more than they bargained for. With playing time, NIL money, and shifting roles all factoring into the equation, Mark Pope might be forced to build a completely new roster from scratch yet again.
The NCAA Transfer Portal officially opens on April 7th, the preliminary player evaluations are already underway, and it will be a long 2 weeks. Kentucky has to be prepared for every possible roster scenario because you just never know,
If the Wildcats are forced into a massive rebuild, here are five names Mark Pope must aggressively pursue, in addition to the 6 we discussed here.
The frontcourt game-changers
Henry Veesar
The college basketball coaching carousel creates massive opportunities, and Kentucky needs to be ready to strike. Following the firing of Hubert Davis at North Carolina, Henry Veesar might decide he doesn't want to play in Chapel Hill anymore. I wouldn't blame him.
The big man originally transferred from Arizona and absolutely dominated this season, averaging 17.0 points and 8.7 rebounds while shooting a staggering 60.8% from the floor and 42.6% from deep. If he hits the open market, Mark Pope can't let him go to another school and watch as he did with Yaxel Lendeborg. He fits perfectly into what Mark Pope actually does well.
Paulius Murauskas
Murauskas had a brutal end to his season, battling an illness and struggling during St. Mary's NCAA Tournament loss to Texas A&M. Things happen. Then his head coach, Randy Bennett, left and is now officially taking the Arizona State job, so he decided to leave as well. While he might just follow Bennett to ASU, Kentucky has to get in the mix. He is a walking mismatch who averaged 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds this season.
The perimeter marksmen
Rodney Brown Jr.
You can never have enough wing depth, especially when that wing is a lethal sniper. The LMU product took a massive leap forward this season, leading the entire WCC with 87 made 3-pointers. He averaged 14.0 points per game while shooting 38.2% from beyond the arc. He provides the exact floor-spacing capability Mark Pope's offense needs to be functional. You all saw what happened when that floor shrank last year. It was a 19-point loss.
Ryder Frost
While Kentucky desperately needs shot creators, they also need shot makers. No matter how good the pass is, if you can't shoot you will not get an assist.Frost was widely regarded as a massive shooting threat in high school, but he struggled to find consistent playing time during his freshman year at Notre Dame, logging just over six minutes per game. Definitely worth taking a flyer on.
Kentucky basketball's point guard options continue to rise
With Dedan Thomas Jr. in the portal, Joel Foxwell jumped in, and now a new name to watch has emerged:
Christian Bliss
The Delaware freshman completely burst onto the scene in a big way this year. Now he is going to be playing elsewhere. At 6-foot-4, Bliss brings legitimate size to the point guard position. He is a phenomenal floor general who can make every read and pass. Averaging 16.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game, he has shown he can run an offense effectively.
The portal landscape will continue to shift aggressively as the April 7 deadline approaches. Stay tuned as we track every move.