The transfer portal, as always, is horribly frustrating and entirely confusing from the perspective of a fan. Some crowds may not deal with the same stress as we do but, BBN, basketball “meaning more” in Lexington also means that it’s torture to wait on good news.
It doesn’t help that, now more than a week after the portal initially opened, Mark Pope and Kentucky don’t have any good news to speak of. Visits and Zoom calls galore haven’t yielded even one signing.
With Rob Wright still on campus (although not for much longer), you’d think the Wildcats are on the cusp of their first commitment. And they may be, but I’m not so sure it’ll come in the form of a previously obvious pick. If I’m placing bets, my money is on Zoom Diallo to be Pope’s first grab of this cycle.
Betting on Diallo’s as Pope’s First Grab
Kentucky fans may be quick to raise their pitchforks after Wright initially seemed like a near-lock - at least according to folks in and around the program - but Diallo was the first of the two guards to visit Kentucky and, all things considered, could be considered a similarly promising fit.
While his three point numbers aren’t quite on the level of Wright, Diallo’s 49% metric (scoring nearly 16 per game) from the field assures a well-rounded floor general that gets his buckets where he wants them.
The five assists and four boards that come along with his stat-line, on average, are equally alluring from the perspective of a Kentucky team that was without a “do it all” guard this past season.
Diallo, who originally saw major interest from Arizona as well, has almost disappeared from the headlines in recent days as a result of the Wildcats out west filling their point guard duties elsewhere. From the outside looking in, it looks like the perfect time for Pope to strike.
Time For Pope to Strike
Wright’s ultimate decision will certainly complicate things with Diallo but, at this juncture, the latter may be the more likely guard to end up in the blue and white.
This recruitment could truly go either way, and Kentucky could end up with both or neither, but Pope’s heavy involvement with both guards suggests his diehard intention to bring at least one home.
Without a Wright commitment tonight, all signs point to Zoom Diallo running the floor for the Cats next season. Although, like everyone else right now, that’s just the speculation of a particularly disgruntled fan trying to make the puzzle pieces fit.
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