Kentucky lost every member of its roster from a season ago, so building a roster through the transfer portal has an entirely different meaning for Mark Pope than most coaches.
Already, Pope has landed a major portal target in big man Amari Williams, who committed to Kentucky over the weekend.
With just three members to its official roster, Kentucky still has a lot of work left in the coming weeks and months ahead.
But, could help be on the way? It's very possible as the first BYU transfer is set to visit Kentucky to start the week.
6-foot-5 rising junior guard Richie Saunders is reportedly going to be at Kentucky all day on Monday after arriving in Lexington late on Sunday night, according to KSR.com's Matt Jones.
BYU’s Richie Saunders expected to visit Kentucky tonight and tomorrow
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) April 21, 2024
Earlier this month, Saunders was a name that we discussed as being one of five BYU players that Mark Pope should look at bringing with him to Kentucky, so this isn't a huge surprise.
Saunders is a shooter who has multiple years of eligibility still available and is someone who knows his role in the Pope offense perfectly.
Saunders averaged 9.6 points and shot 52.3 percent overall and 36.4 percent from three off of the bench this past season. He played 20.7 minutes a game and had just one start on the season. Despite that, he scored in double figures 15 times, including two 20-point games.
He has good size and an ability to score off of the dribble or catch and was a critical part to the success of BYU the past few years.
In order for Pope to be successful in his first season at Kentucky, he needs players he can trust and players that understand the messaging and style of play he brings with.
Saunders would be a perfect player to help lay the foundation of the Mark Pope era.
It's a very high possibility Saunders leaves Lexington a Wildcat and if so, would be a very good 48-hour haul for Pope.