Latest news and updates about the Kentucky
A lot is being made of Louisville and Tennessee doing big-time work in the portal. And I totally get it, they are getting dudes. But the disappointing ending to last season has a lot of people looking at Kentucky Basketball’s roster through hazy goggles. Are there deficiencies? Sure. Are there questions? I think everyone will […]
Kentucky Basketball head coach Mark Pope was hoping to make another international addition in Maccabi Tel Aviv center Marcio Santos following a recent recruiting trip overseas. However, that trip ultimately proved unsuccessful, as Santos has opted instead to pick LSU over Kentucky, according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. Pope traveled to Israel on Wednesday last […]
The University of Kentucky is mourning the loss of a true legend. Adrian ‘Odie’ Smith, a cornerstone of Kentucky’s storied history and a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, passed away on April 28. He was 89 years old. The university released a statement Monday announcing the passing. Smith leaves behind a legacy that stretches […]
If you listen to Kentucky Sports Radio right now, Mark Pope should be standing up on a podium and talking with the media. While Matt Jones and company are openly begging for some kind of communication, even joking about sending up “smoke signals,” the Kentucky basketball program has effectively gone completely dark. Aside from a […]
It’s been a quiet offseason for Kentucky Basketball when it comes to Mark Pope publicly speaking. Outside of a couple of tweets and some press release quotes for assistant coaching hires, Pope has been oddly quiet, but that finally changed on Tuesday. In a brief video posted on Twitter, Pope called on fans to send […]
The University of Kentucky is evaluating multiple organizational structures for its next athletic director as the school prepares for a major leadership transition following Mitch Barnhart’s planned retirement in June. Two months ago, it was announced that Barnhart would step down, prompting Kentucky to begin a national search. Since then, UK President Eli Capilouto has […]
It’s still early, and Kentucky Basketball’s roster likely isn’t completely finished yet, but national projections headed into a critical Year 3 for Mark Pope are not the most optimistic. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello recently released his Way-Too-Early Top 25, and Kentucky didn’t make the cut. In fact, Kentucky didn’t make the cut of the next five […]
After missing out on many of his top transfer portal and high school recruiting targets, Mark Pope is now looking to the international route to finalize the 2026-27 Kentucky Basketball roster. One name rumored to be in the mix was Stefan Joksimovic, a tantalizing prospect from Europe who could end up being a first-round pick […]
Last season, St. John’s took on a monstrous non-conference slate against teams like Iowa State, Alabama, and Kentucky. Although they weren’t able to pick up a signature victory before Big East play started, that isn’t deterring them from taking on top competition in their upcoming schedule. First reported by Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, the […]
The national media have been all over Mark Pope this offseason. You have some leaking information that other programs are cracking jokes about how Kentucky recruits. You have others openly questioning what the plan is. And now you have one saying the roster Mark Pope built may be one of the worst in the SEC. […]
Kansas Jayhawks News Hear what a high school coach has to say about Tyran Stokes’ game ESPN also has a breakdown of Stokes’ playing style Some Kentucky fans are naturally crashing out over their big recruiting loss 247 went through a list of the ten top ranked recruits in Kansas basketball history Links! SCOTUS is […]
Is Kentucky Basketball on the verge of landing a commitment from Brazilian big man Marcio Santos? Kentucky head coach Mark Pope visited Santos in Israel, and there are some reports out there that the Kentucky coach has extended an offer to Santos. There is also another interesting note in this recruitment: Santos’ coach, Oded Kattash, […]
Kentucky Basketball head coach Mark Pope is taking his recruiting efforts overseas, flying to Israel on Wednesday to meet with Maccabi Tel Aviv center Márcio Santos, according to Jacob Polacheck of KSR. Santos, a 6-foot-8 center, averaged 8.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, one assist, and 0.6 blocks during the 2025–26 Winner League season with Maccabi Tel […]
Kentucky basketball has officially entered the mix for one of the top players in the 2027 recruiting class, extending an offer to 5-star small forward Ryan Hampton on Monday, per his social media. Hampton, a 6-foot-6, 190-pound standout from Daytona Beach, Florida, is ranked as the No. 5 overall player and the No. 1 small […]
There’s really no sugarcoating it: This was a brutal day for Mark Pope and the Kentucky Basketball program. When news broke that Tyran Stokes would announce his decision Tuesday night during ESPN’s NBA Tip-off, it was widely believed that the Kansas Jayhawks would be the choice (and, shocker, they were). That didn’t stop Pope and […]
In a major recruiting decision that shifts the landscape of the 2026 class, Tyran Stokes, the nation’s No. 1 overall prospect, has committed to the Kansas Jayhawks over Kentucky Basketball. Stokes announced the decision during Tuesday’s NBA Tip-Off show on ESPN. The 6-foot-7, 5-star small forward had long been a top target for Mark Pope, […]
UK President Eli Capilouto provided a detailed update on the University of Kentucky’s athletic director search on Tuesday during the Champions Blue LLC Board of Governors Meeting, outlining progress while emphasizing that the process is still ongoing. Capilouto revealed that he has talked to more than 70 people across both sports and business sectors as […]
As Kentucky Basketball looks to land a big fish for next season’s roster, another option is reportedly off the board, as Baylor transfer Tounde Yessoufou will remain in the 2026 NBA Draft, according to Recruit News. Yessoufou recently entered the transfer portal after declaring for the draft. While Kentucky was thought to be in the mix, […]
It would appear Kentucky Basketball’s dream of Year 5 Otega Oweh just took a massive blow. On Monday, the NCAA held a meeting to determine if the 5-in-5 proposal was going to move forward, meaning college athletes would be granted five playing seasons in a five-year window if it passes. While it’s expected to pass, […]
Update: Well…so much for that. ___________________________________________________________ The 5-for-5 rule has really put a halt to offseason recruiting at the moment as college basketball staffs wait and see if a whole new group of players becomes eligible if the rule passes. For Kentucky Basketball, it didn’t seem like much weight should be put on a return […]
Kentucky added another piece to its roster last week, as Zyon Hawthorne, the younger brother of Braydon Hawthorne, officially joined the program following Braydon’s return announcement. Zyon, a 6-foot-2 combo guard out of Huntington Prep, averaged 11.2 points, seven assists, and three rebounds per game as a senior, drawing interest from programs like Wichita State, […]
As Mark Pope works frantically to build the 2026-27 Kentucky Basketball roster, we now have a high school reclassification candidate to monitor. According to On3’s Joe Tipton, Pope is set to have an in-home visit with 5-star wing Ryan Hampton. Tipton also notes that Hampton is a reclass candidate, which he almost has to be […]
As Kentucky Basketball continues to fill out its roster, one of its top remaining recruits is set to make a college decision on Monday, and another could follow suit. On Saturday, 5-star forward Miikka Muurinen revealed that he will make his college choice on Monday, April 27. The 6-foot-10 big man is ranked 55th overall […]
Pat Kelsey’s commitment to getting bigger in 2026-27 took another (very) sizable step forward Saturday with the commitment of 7’5 USC transfer center Gabe Dynes. Dynes, a Kentucky native who played his high school basketball at Simon Kenton in Independence, picked U of L over Kentucky. Before transferring to USC, Dynes spent two seasons at […]
UNC basketball made waves in the transfer portal on Tuesday, signing a pair of highly sought after guards. Terrence Brown had long been rumored to be a top target for the Heels, but UNC had stiff competition in wooing him to North Carolina from Kansas and Kentucky. Matt Able also committed, jumping from N.C. State […]