The final buzzer has sounded on a historically bad, frustrating Kentucky basketball season, and the clock is immediately ticking toward the offseason's most chaotic event: the Transfer Portal.
With the portal window opening in just over two weeks, Mark Pope's roster is staring down massive decisions. History in the modern era of college basketball tells us that what a player says in the emotional locker room after a season-ending loss and what they actually do two weeks later can be two very different things.
But right now, we have them on the record. As the Wildcats pack their bags, here is exactly what every player asked had to say about returning to Lexington next season after losing to Iowa State.
The non-committal core is the largest group
When the wound of a season-ending loss is still fresh, it is incredibly common for players to deflect questions about the future. They are human, and they now get paid very well. It is perfectly reasonable to take some time. But some deflections carry more weight than others.
The most glaring response came from Collin Chandler. During his post-game autopsy, Mark Pope specifically pointed to Chandler and Malachi Moreno as the foundational pieces he wanted to build around next year. However, Chandler didn't sound completely locked in just yet.
“That’s not what I’m thinking about right now," Chandler stated regarding his future. "I’m grateful for this season, for this team, and I hope we can celebrate together the memories that we made, relationships we made, and that’s really where my mind’s at.”
Freshman guard Jasper Johnson echoed that exact same sentiment, making it clear he is prioritizing his teammates over portal math for the next few days. "I'm not really thinking about it right now... knowing that our season is over and I'm just taking it all in, just talking to all of my friends on the team... but not really thinking too far right now."
Meanwhile, Trent Noah, whose role moving forward is heavily debated, gave the bluntest answer of the group: "I mean I have spent 0 seconds thinking about that."
Weighing the draft and final eligibility
For a pair of Wildcats, the decisions extend beyond just whether or not to enter the portal.
Malachi Moreno, the other half of Pope's desired returning core, is facing the reality of the NBA Draft process. "There’s a lot of thoughts in my head, just trying to process what’s going on," Moreno explained. "I feel like after a couple days, I’ll process it with my family and go through the talks, and we’ll make a decision from there." When pressed specifically on the NBA Draft, he reiterated, "It’s something I’ve got to talk about with my family first."
On the other end of the spectrum is Mo Dioubate, who is entering his final year of college eligibility and knows the clock is ticking.
"This is something I'm going to be in the gym for every day, developing my game. It's going to be my last year of college, so this is it...Yeah, I mean, if that’s what it comes down to, I still have time to think about my decision... I’m going to have a lot of time to make my decision."
The "plan on staying" crowd
While several players dodged the question, a few Wildcats put their intentions clearly on the table, though, as we know with the realities of NIL budgets and roster space, mutual interest is required to make a return happen.
Brandon Garrison, whose inconsistent play has made him a prime candidate for a roster casualty, was the most definitive player in the locker room. When asked if he would be back, Garrison simply replied: "Yes, for sure."
Kam Williams also made his intentions known, noting that a return is currently the goal. “Yeah, that’s the plan," Williams said. "Obviously, I mean, I love it here, so definitely I would love to be back here, but that’s also something I’m not really trying to think about right now. I’m definitely trying to spend time with my seniors and everyone else on the squad."
Finally, Andrija Jelavić, who spoke passionately about his love for the fanbase following the loss, confirmed his hope to stay in blue. "It's all about the moment," Jelavić said, "but I hope so."
Braydon Hawthorne earlier this month confirmed he planned on being back as well. While Reece Potter confirmed the redshirt and return was always his choice as well.
Jaland Lowe also confirmed his plans were always to come back, "I don’t think about leaving the team or leaving the coaching staff. I’m really here right now, present with these guys. But I mean, my plan has always been to come back. If that happens, that happens, and I’d be happy with that.”
As they say, it takes two to tango. Now the ball is Mark Pope's court. He said "retention" would be huge for this roster; now he has to convince them to stay.