With Tyran Stokes' latest visit to Lexington having been wrapped up once more, still without a commitment or really any relative news at all, Kentucky fans have started to panic. Mark Pope can certainly build a great team out of the portal - Michigan just won the title that way - but Stokes national No. 1 status makes him hard to shake from any perspective.
It seems that Pope's vision was to build around Stokes after his hoped-for arrival in the blue and white. However, according to Krysten Peek, Stokes would prefer something to be built for him before he makes a decision.
An excerpt from Peek's post about Stokes:
"I said a couple of weeks because I know Tyran wants to see the roster construction of both teams and that’s not happening by the end of this week. He’s not in any hurry at all!"
Stokes Won't Hurry to a Decision
Is that bet really worth the hand? Stokes' unique talent is undeniable, but with the portal already having been open for one week, Kentucky simply cannot wait on the big name to make a choice before building a competitive roster.
Not only that, but similarly, the program can't afford to leave gaps therein on the mere hope that he'll commit at some point to fill them. Mark Pope has to capitalize on the other winning players he's got in the mix right now; pushing those guys away in favor of Stokes' potential "yes" could lead to outright catastrophe.
Not only did top transfer guard Robert Wright III visit at the same time as Stokes, the former of which Kentucky reportedly leads for, but guard Zoom Diallo and forward Donnie Freeman are also in the mix and have shown obvious interest.
Landing even two of those three guys would be a huge win. Inversely, missing on all of them, regardless of whether or not you get Stokes, would be a categorical "whiff."
Weighing the Benefits
KSR's Jack Pilgrim called the Stokes recruitment a "toss-up" on Kentucky Roll Call. It should be made clear that the Wildcats are still firmly in the hunt for the nation's top recruit.
But at some point, and sooner rather than later, Pope will have to make a judgement call. He and Kentucky can't have their cake and eat it too; either they go all in on Stokes and risk the rest of the roster, or do the opposite.
Decisions, BBN... decisions.
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