Since coming to Lexington last month, Mark Pope and the rest of the Kentucky staff have been pursuing the transfer portal head-on.
Pope had his work cut out for him after the team lost every player from the previous season, including every member of the recruiting class for 2024.
Subsequently, he included three high school talents and seven transfers, assembling a team that ‘fits perfectly’ together.
However, three scholarships remain to be applied for. Pope clarified last week that he is certain of the way he intends to assemble the team.
“At this point, we have ten scholarships,” Pope said to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports this week. “I need to add two extremely, incredibly crucial components. As a floating item, the thirteenth scholarship is that. The way we see it is It can be for a young player’s spot. A senior player who plans to take a redshirt year may be able to use it. It might serve as a project location. It might be a location.
Right now, Kentucky has made use of almost every skill set available through the portal. However, there is still no true standout scorer.
Mark Pope is considering a few players who meet that description, including a couple who are participating in this week’s NBA Combine.
However, for the time being, Kentucky’s 10-man roster has Lamont Butler, who made a buzzer-beater in the 2023 Final Four, Brandon Garrison, a former McDonald’s All-American, and Koby Brea, the top three-point shooter in the country last season.
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