Kentucky lands significant transfer to kick off roster rebuild

Amari Williams committed to Kentucky, giving Mark Pope a signature big man on both ends of the floor.
Feb 2, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Drexel Dragons forward Amari Williams (22) drives
Feb 2, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Drexel Dragons forward Amari Williams (22) drives / Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
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Boom! Kentucky and Mark Pope have landed a signature commitment that will help the roster rebuild for the 2024-25 season.

Drexel forward Amari Williams announced his pledge to Kentucky following his vist over the weekend.

Williams had been down to three schools; Kentucky, St. John's and Mississippi State.

This is a terrific first piece to the puzzle for Mark Pope. Williams is a 6-foot-10, 230-pounder 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. 

Williams is best known for his defensive ability and shot blocking. He led the CAA in blocks last year for the third straight season and has averaged 1.8 blocks per game over the course of the last three years. He had a block rate of 8.3 percent this past season and 8.7 percent for his career.

As a junior he averaged 13.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.2 blocks per game.

He ranked in the top-16 in the nation in player efficiency rating in each of the last two seasons.

After losing Aaron Bradshaw, Ugonna Onyenso and Zvonimir Ivisic this offseason -- all 7-footers -- Kentucky needed to start its offseason rebuild in the front court.

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