Kentucky Wildcats Head Coach Mark Pope is recruiting his tail off this month and making up time for some of the 2025 5-star players. Pope was hired this offseason, and while many of these 5-star players have been courted by potential basketball programs, Pope is coming late to the party. And yet, he may still end up with the best recruiting class in the country, especially if everything shakes out the way he envisions it.
We know that this weekend, Chris Cenac Jr. is in town on his official visit to Kentucky. He is the top-rated Center in the class, and the 5-star prospect stands at 6'10 "and is still growing. Now, word that another 5-star player is on campus at the same time is Mikel Brown Jr. Brown is one of the best point guards in the class.
2025 five-star prospect Chris Cenac is currently on his visit to Kentucky.
— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) September 27, 2024
Visiting alongside five-star PG Mikel Brown this weekend.#BBN pic.twitter.com/TXK5dHmQSW
Pope is high on Brown, making him one of the recruits he wants to secure in this recruiting cycle. He has a good sell for Brown, mentioning how great he fits into his system and that a point guard like him would help Kentucky get another national championship.
Coach Pope says Mikel Brown is a perfect fit for his offense👀 pic.twitter.com/lHalw4yjTl
— Kentucky Hoops (@kentuckyhoopsig) September 27, 2024
Ironically, the team to beat in the Brown sweepstakes actually seems to be Ole Miss. 24/7 Sports has the crystal ball to the Rebels. This may be why Pope decided this weekend was a good one to bring in Brown as the two football programs face off. What seems to make Ole Miss the favorite is the opposite of what Pope can provide: the Rebels have been recruiting him for a long time.
Ole Miss is battling several major programs for 5-star PG Mikel Brown Jr. But, Chris Beard and Wes Flanigan have been there “since day one”. More here from On3’s Joe Tipton 👇🗞️ https://t.co/lgtmcX1piQ pic.twitter.com/yQ5GeLyz25
— Zach Berry (@Zach_Berry) July 27, 2024
This isn't the only highly rated point guard that Pope is after in this class, and this weekend, there was also news that came out that Acaden Lewis is indicating that Kentucky may be a favorite to land him. Will this be a problem if one chooses the Wildcats before the other? Potentially but we know from the class that Pope brought in this year (mostly through transfers) that Pope loves having two elite point guards. He has two of the best in the nation for this season Kerr Kriisa and Lamont Butler.
Things are trending the right way for Kentucky with four-star PG Acaden Lewis.
— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) September 27, 2024
I am told “he will still be taking his remaining visits and will make his decision in early November.”
An official date is not set but Kentucky is expected to host him next month, potentially BBM.… pic.twitter.com/2SfN6CJQpl
Keep an eye on the basketball recruiting this weekend as Pope is looking to make a splash.