New rumor suggests Mark Pope wants to pair two scoring phenoms together in Lexington

After landing Milan Momcilovic and effectively wrapping up his year-three team in Lexington, Mark Pope wasted no time at all turning his attention to the 2027-28 class that is set to come after. In the immediacy of landing a five-star transfer, Pope pivoted and secured a commitment from five-star freshman forward Ryan Hampton within the same week.

The latter was Coach Pope's first five-star freshman and highest-rated recruit out of high school to this point in his career. The pickup, especially following Momcilovic, reinvigorated a fanbase that had spent all offseason up to that point being torn apart by opposing fanbases for recruiting failures.

To say that the Big Blue Nation have been enjoying a deserved victory lap online since Pope checked these boxes would be an understatement. Keep circling, Cats fans, let em' hear you.

In the meantime, a new rumor suggests that Pope's foot is still fully pressed on the pedal for the 2027 class. First posted by BigBlueDylan on X, Canadian forward Deng Ngor has garnered interest from Kentucky. If Pope can work their positional similarities out, pairing Hampton with Ngor could form one of the nastiest scoring duos in college basketball.

Adding Deng Ngor Would Create a Nasty Pairing

Things are still incredibly fresh as far as the 2027 class goes, and that's particularly true with Ngor. In spite of having already earned official offers from the likes of Auburn, Florida State, Virginia, and more, the forward hasn't yet picked up a star designation.

Dylan notes that he has five-star potential in his post, and to that point, I'd have to agree. Ngor is one of the 2027 class' most well-rounded prospects upon a first look.

At the FIBA U18 AmeriCup, playing for Canada, Ngor averaged 10.2 points, four boards, and three assists. His tape is also extremely similar to Hampton's; Ngor can rise up over defenders with ease, both for a lob and with his jumper, and has a quick break off the dribble.

Anchoring Kentucky's Lineup

At 6-foot-8, Ngor is likely to click in at the three spot - that may be a worry on the surface, as Hampton projects to play the same position. But if one slides to the four, or the other the three, Kentucky suddenly has an incredibly lean and athletic duo anchoring their lineup.

On my view, it'd catapult the Cats into must-watch territory from the get-go, even more so if Ngor picks up five stars.

This one is likely to take a little patience as Ngor's recruitment is only just picking up, but if Pope and Kentucky are truly involved, the vision is clear from a long way out. It helps that Pope is operating on a higher level of confidence on the recruiting trail now than ever, too. That man is on a heater.

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