Mark Pope's recruiting nightmares are reborn as Nikola Kusturica commits to UCLA

You can't stay hot on the recruiting trail forever. Mark Pope, after a slow start to the offseason that gave way to a recent streak of breakneck momentum, has now hit a potentially serious hitch in his plans. International star and primary Kentucky target will officially take his talents elsewhere.

Per Travis Branham, 17-year old phenom has committed to Mick Cronin and UCLA. A projected future lottery pick that just dropped 37 points in the FIBA U17 World Cup Championship game, Kusturica is a budding star with multi-year upside on the collegiate level.

Had he come to Lexington, the high-scoring wing would've likely been a focal point of Pope's offense for years to come. Instead, Kentucky will have to look elsewhere to fill their final roster spot. While not exactly a whiff, something led Kusturica to choose against the Cats behind the scenes.

The worst part? We don't have the slightest clue what that something is.

A Kentucky Prediction Gone Wrong

The same guy (Branham) that just broke this news had previously thrilled the Big Blue Nation by logging a prediction for Kusturica to end up in the blue and white. Branham himself pushed back on the "whiff" terminology when the tides changed, but there's still no public indication as to why things shifted.

Could it be a bigger financial offer from Cronin and his crew? That seems most likely, at least from the outside looking in.

Pope and Kentucky did just pay Milan Momcilovic the big bucks to lead the Wildcats' three-point efforts this season. Not only that, but five-star forward Ryan Hampton pledged his allegiance to Kentucky almost immediately after Momcilovic.

I don't have to tell anyone keeping up with college hoops that, in the NIL era, five-star prospects don't come cheap. It isn't a stretch of the imagination to think that Kusturica simply got an offer he couldn't refuse from a UCLA team with more room on the roster as-is.

Pope's Pivot

Regardless of why Kusturica is headed out west instead of to the Bluegrass, Kentucky has a roster spot to fill that is now more important than ever.

Pope's third team is already solid, sure, but the coach going after Kusturica to the extent that he did implies that the Cats need more. It'd be a hard sell to push your chips in on a player who demands minutes and time on-ball, only to turn around and settle for the group you've got without him.

Put plainly, Kentucky's head coach clearly sees a high ceiling in the opening on his roster. With or without Kusturica, it seems reasonable to expect that spot to be filled by a perceived difference maker, even at this late stage in the offseason.

Although, with names like Kusturica flying off the board, you can only endure so many misses before that option dissipates. The Cats will have to pick their recruiting battles carefully from here on out.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow