Top portal players are we going after any?

[UKreturntogreatness]

I don't see many of these names on the supposed Kentucky leans. Getting another crop of second or third team all conference players, great 6th men, etc. will be a rinse and repeat of this season. To be a top team will take top talent. Right now at least the names I am seeing on this site have me pretty concerned. This is not the time for the maybe they will be good recruits. If we couldn't lure the very best high school players then guys down on the portal list will leave little hope for anything different. We MUST have proven elite.

1. Flory Bidunga, Kansas
2. Juke Harris, Wake Forest
3. John Blackwell, Wisconsin
4. Paulius Murauskas, St. Mary’s
5. Neoklis Avdalas, Virginia Tech
6. PJ Haggerty, Kansas State
7. Miles Byrd, San Diego State
8. Isaiah Johnson, Colorado
9. Aiden Sherrell, Alabama
10. Somto Cyril, Georgia

 

[Anon200440]

not going for the top guys

 

[UKCowboys]

not going for the top guys

Yeah we are. We have contacted several of the top guys. Don't know if we will get them or not

 

[RedwoodHigh]

There are 75 men in the portal that Ky could use & 5 uncommitted 2026 HS players.
We need 3 guards & 3 Frontcourt guys mostly Stretch 4’s.

 

[philstat]

Here’s the latest update

Kentucky Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker

KSR is tracking all of Kentucky Basketball's transfer portal moves during a critical offseason for Mark Pope.

www.on3.com

 

[cornbreadnmilk]

We have been linked to 3,4,5 and 7 on this list.

 

[JASUN74]

I hate to say, if all we’re going after is what KSR is reporting then it’s not looking great to me. Go after the Studs and get them Mark.

 

[JASUN74]

We have been linked to 3,4,5 and 7 on this list.

Most the top recruiting guys I’ve saw hasn’t been kind about our chances with hardly any of those guys tho. Maybe they’re going to surprise us

 

[Wildcat_in_DC]

#3, #5, #10 PG
#2, #3, #7, #12 SG
#2 SF
#1, #2, #5 PF
#1 CB

with kam williams and moreno locked in and likely chandler. its clear the focus of the staff is on PG, SG/SF, and PF

if folks dont consider these player "studs" who are rated TOPS at their position.....there is nothing you can do to make them happy

 

[Blue till I die]

one can make an argument, the less we hear the better, we can only be patient and see how it plays out

 

[FitchandMurray29]

#3, #5, #10 PG
#2, #3, #7, #12 SG
#2 SF
#1, #2, #5 PF
#1 CB

with kam williams and moreno locked in and likely chandler. its clear the focus of the staff is on PG, SG/SF, and PF

if folks dont consider these player "studs" who are rated TOPS at their position.....there is nothing you can do to make them happy

Agree. If I’m being unbiased, I see three “studs” in the portal that this board wouldn’t be arguing over. Flory(wouldn’t make a ton of sense with Moreno), Juke, and Blackwell.

We don’t publicly seem to be much connected to any of them currently. Pretty much every other player in the portal there would be arguments on this board about.

 

[kywildcat1021979]

We have been linked to 3,4,5 and 7 on this list.

Probably just a hat on the table.

 

[Tprinceuk]

I hope we don't hear anything until they commit with how trash the "experts" were last year posting we were going to get everyone just before they would commit elsewhere

 

[20MRoster]

#3, #5, #10 PG
#2, #3, #7, #12 SG
#2 SF
#1, #2, #5 PF
#1 CB

with kam williams and moreno locked in and likely chandler. its clear the focus of the staff is on PG, SG/SF, and PF

if folks dont consider these player "studs" who are rated TOPS at their position.....there is nothing you can do to make them happy

Hurray Chandler. The guy who begged BYU to take him and got denied

 

[anot]

Good thing about it is we won't have to wait long to find out.

 

[champagnecat]

Program is such a disaster currently it’s hilarious

 

[Hitman206]

Cyril has a do not contact tag and is going to Arkansas

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

one can make an argument, the less we hear the better, we can only be patient and see how it plays out

I agree. Almost every player in the Pope era we have had a public battle or favorite for we have lost, while guys we barely knew we have contacted commit out of nowhere.

 

[JwUKFan11]

For the first time this portal Tipton said we are a team to watch for “top”. There are more than 10 good players in the portal, I would consider somewhere around the top 50ish the best in the country.

 

[peterpiper09]

Hurray Chandler. The guy who begged BYU to take him and got denied

Gullible aren’t you?

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

I hate to say, if all we’re going after is what KSR is reporting then it’s not looking great to me. Go after the Studs and get them Mark.

This.

Pope cannot afford to miss both in the portal and in the high school ranks.

I still think we're screwed. You don't let go of three assistant coaches and find their replacements right before the portal opens and have a ton of success there.

 

[AllBall]

There are 75 men in the portal that Ky could use & 5 uncommitted 2026 HS players.
We need 3 guards & 3 Frontcourt guys mostly Stretch 4’s.

I wouldn't be mad at Zoom Diallo and Donnie Freeman to kick things off.

 

[Dr.LutherSan]

Cyril has a do not contact tag and is going to Arkansas

He would have been a horrible fit.

 

[TFCat11]

Let me say this one more time…

Mark Pope is not, capital NOT, beating out ANY of the elite (proven) coaches for a single player, HS or portal! Never was, never is!

He’s a lifetime 63% winning coach, and we will field a team of players that will match that! Anyone who thought Pope was just going to waltz into the portal and hand select the best of the best are playing pretend and insulting their own intelligence.

When the smoke clears, and the dust settles in March of 2027, Mark Pope’s 3rd UK team will have a minimum of 12 losses, and if they don’t, I will eat a live crow on a live streaming service, and tell the entire fan base what a complete and utter moron I was, and you can roast me until I go into hiding full of shame!

 

[kyjeff1]

Let me say this one more time…

Mark Pope is not, capital NOT, beating out ANY of the elite (proven) coaches for a single player, HS or portal! Never was, never is!

He’s a lifetime 63% winning coach, and we will field a team of players that will match that! Anyone who thought Pope was just going to waltz into the portal and hand select the best of the best are playing pretend and insulting their own intelligence.

When the smoke clears, and the dust settles in March of 2027, Mark Pope’s 3rd UK team will have a minimum of 12 losses, and if they don’t, I will eat a live crow on a live streaming service, and tell the entire fan base what a complete and utter moron I was, and you can roast me until I go into hiding full of shame!

He beat out Hurley and Self for Kobe Brea.
But don't let me stop you from continuing your exaggeration-fest.

 

[mdluk1]

We NEED 2 of the top players available. We have to replace Oweh and Aberdeen. That is a lot of minutes and scoring for the top players. You'd think they'd be jumping at the chance.

 

[JonathanW2]

I've not seen

I don't see many of these names on the supposed Kentucky leans. Getting another crop of second or third team all conference players, great 6th men, etc. will be a rinse and repeat of this season. To be a top team will take top talent. Right now at least the names I am seeing on this site have me pretty concerned. This is not the time for the maybe they will be good recruits. If we couldn't lure the very best high school players then guys down on the portal list will leave little hope for anything different. We MUST have proven elite.

1. Flory Bidunga, Kansas
2. Juke Harris, Wake Forest
3. John Blackwell, Wisconsin
4. Paulius Murauskas, St. Mary’s
5. Neoklis Avdalas, Virginia Tech
6. PJ Haggerty, Kansas State
7. Miles Byrd, San Diego State
8. Isaiah Johnson, Colorado
9. Aiden Sherrell, Alabama
10. Somto Cyril, Georgia

I've not seen Sherrell or Cyril at the top of any list.

 

[Cats_2010]

The issues with Pope are too many in number to even care about recruiting. I think you could have given pope Michigan’s team this year and he would have still lost double digits and flamed out in the NCAA. You can tell when a coach has “it”. Pope doesn’t. A roster isn’t going to change that.

 

[JASUN74]

This.

Pope cannot afford to miss both in the portal and in the high school ranks.

I still think we're screwed. You don't let go of five assistant coaches and find their replacements right before the portal opens and have a ton of success there.

By reading the list of players I’ve saw us going after, it screams scared or just not confident in himself enough. I have no idea if those lists are true but I’d at least be going after the top ten players first and they’d all have to turn me down with a don’t ever call me again. Actually we should’ve already had a full team by now with all the time we’ve had since we lost in the tournament. They know who’s going in and the agents have no doubt been calling. I don’t know anything at all about anything but seems like a coach at Kentucky would need to turn kids away instead of what we’re seeing now. I hate being and feeling soo negative about this situation. I’m about ready to take a little break for my sanity. lol.

 

[JASUN74]

Agree. If I’m being unbiased, I see three “studs” in the portal that this board wouldn’t be arguing over. Flory(wouldn’t make a ton of sense with Moreno), Juke, and Blackwell.

We don’t publicly seem to be much connected to any of them currently. Pretty much every other player in the portal there would be arguments on this board about.

Flory would be the first call to be the starter at center. MM off the bench if I were considering a run at a title. To only win 20 games and lose 15 no.

 

[Sportspm]