The Transfer Portal is currently dominating the college basketball news cycle. Everyone is trying to get the best roster possible, but Mark Pope is also looking beyond the traditional collegiate ranks to completely overhaul his roster.
With the SEC becoming increasingly physical and wing-dominant, the Wildcats desperately need an injection of length and versatility. Pope has a highly specific vision for how to solve that problem, and he just held a critical virtual meeting with a player who fits the blueprint perfectly.
Kentucky recently conducted a Zoom call with 19-year-old Dink Pate, signaling they aren't going anywhere in his recruitment.
The professional eligibility loophole
Pate represents one of the most fascinating recruiting situations in the modern era of college athletics. Instead of taking the traditional collegiate route, he initially bypassed the NCAA to join the now-defunct G-League Ignite program. Since then, he has spent his time developing his game against grown men in the professional ranks. That should mean he will be further along than someone playing AAU ball, where they just run up and down the court trying to create highlights.
This past season with the Westchester Knicks, the 6-foot-8 wing proved his elite potential, averaging 16.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. Some of you out there may have thought Pate was a point guard, but he is not. But he does show good vision for someone his size.
Now, Pate is looking to pivot back into the college game to try to claim his NBA dreams. He never officially committed to a university out of high school. And he is still incredibly young for a professional prospect. That means his path to securing NCAA eligibility is a lot stronger than some who may seek a waiver.
Holding on despite losing Jason Hart
Pope is making it clear that he will not be outworked in this recruitment. The head coach physically flew out to watch Pate in person during the final day of the G-League season. This week's Zoom call proves that Kentucky is actively trying to close the deal, even after Jason Hart, the assistant coach who originally connected the two, recently departed the UK staff for SMU.
Building a core
If Pope can successfully land Pate, it adds another interesting and versatile wing to the Kentucky roster.
By pairing a 6-foot-8, highly athletic piece like Pate with the returning Braydon Hawthorne and Kam Williams, Kentucky is quietly assembling a massive core of long, lanky wings with rapidly developing games. They can switch 1 through 4.
That gives Pope a luxury that most college coaches can only dream of: a rotation of defensively versatile athletes capable of keeping smaller guys in front, while being able to guard bigger players. Instead of being hunted in pick-and-roll mismatches, the Wildcats would have the sheer length to completely suffocate opposing offenses and switch on every single screen. That makes the defense a lot harder to score on.
Now, Pate does have a ways to go on the defensive end. He was ranked as one of the least effecient defenders in the G League. But he has the tools to get better. Solid footwork, good hands, lateral quickness. It's just a matter of putting it all together.
Pope is in the middle of a second straight rebuild, and it looks as if he is honing in on the trait that matters most to him, size.