While the Kentucky basketball program was one of the most effective in the transfer portal this spring, there were still some questions about the roster as four players had their names in the NBA Draft pool.
As the NBA Draft withdrawal deadline inched closer to the May 29 date, slowly each player pulled their name out and announced they would be playing for the Wildcats.
It began with Drexel transfer big man Amari Williams -- the first commit for Mark Pope -- then it was San Diego State guard Lamont Butler, Wake Forest big Andrew Carr and then finally, Dayton wing Koby Brea. Now, Kentucky has its full roster, at the moment, in tact heading into the summer.
While all four players were expected to return to college, in this day and age you never know.
Williams is a 6-foot-10, 230-pound center who averaged 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game this season. He finished with 10 double-digit rebounding games and eight double-doubles.
“He is a three-time conference defensive player of the year, which is incredibly hard to do," Pope said of Williams. "He is bringing a big presence to the game and is going to serve as a rim-protector and rebounder. Amari is a gifted defensive player who can switch onto any position, one through five, which will add security to how everybody else feels on the court."
Throughout the entire transfer process, Williams was the biggest question mark. Because he was the first commit for Pope, he had no idea what the remainder of the roster would look like. Slowly, after Kentucky began filling open spots, there was some concern from his camp about what his role would look like. After adding Brandon Garrison and Andrew Carr, Williams was close to re-opening his recruitment before a late-night visit from Pope kept him in town.
Butler averaged 9.3 points, 3.0 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game for the Aztecs this season. Butler made a name for himself two years ago during SDSU's FInal Four run before the Aztecs fell to UConn in the National Championship game. He hit the game-winning buzzer-beater against FAU in the Final Four.
“Lamont Butler is the definition of a winner,” Pope said. “He might be the best perimeter defensive player in all of college basketball. Lamont has helped lead championship teams for the last four years and hit one of the most epic shots in the NCAA Tournament to send his team to the championship game."
Carr, probably the most impactful transfer in terms of his skillset and how Mark Pope wants to run his offense, averaged 13.5 points and 6.8 rebounds a game last season while shooting 37.1 percent from three.
“Andrew understands what it means to wear this jersey and he understands the assignment and why he is coming to Lexington," Pope said. "He’s been a captain of every team he’s ever been associated with. He’s a steadying force and a great leader who Kentucky fans are going to love.”
Brea, the top three-point shooter in the nation last year, will fit perfectly in Pope's offense and will be a key with his ability to score it from the perimeter.
He averaged 11.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists this season while shooting 49.8 percent from three.
“By the numbers, Koby Brea is the most efficient mid-to-high major player in college basketball in the last decade,” Pope added “He’s the best returning shooter in college basketball next year. Koby is a dangerous, dangerous man who is a great human with an incredible family."
So, while Pope landed on the right side of his four major draft deadline decisions, there is one still on the radar. That is BYU guard Jaxson Robinson.
Robinson is likely to end up at Kentucky or Kansas assuming he withdraws from the NBA Draft and would be the missing piece that Kentucky needs on its current roster. He has until 11:59 pm ET to take his name out of the draft.
Time will tell, but thus far, it's been a very good -- and slightly expected -- week for Pope and the Wildcats.