So after the crying is done, who do we try to get. Not a whole lot left

LarryLegend9

Sophomore
Apr 24, 2026
81
134
17
I guess a not bad roster is our standard now.
Some people on social media are just trying to generate some positivity of some kind. A lot of fans are unhappy, obviously. I didn’t have my hopes up for this announcement. Pope can’t land guys like Stokes until he has more success and actually wins something (conference title or conference tournament, final four, etc) or starts helping guys get to the NBA.
 

BlueSince92

All-Conference
Jul 2, 2025
10,652
3,151
230
Momcilovic and a guard who can shoot 34% from deep in meaningful games and play defense well enough to stay on floor (including if Noah somehow transforms into that) will put us with a Sweet Sixteen/Elite Eight ceiling if everything breaks right and we have no injuries. I think that’s the best we can possibly hope for. Can you believe we’re less than a year out from looking like we were toying with #1 Purdue without even our point guard? Man were we naïve.
 

rivercatinfl

All-Conference
Nov 21, 2012
2,078
1,988
97
The remaining players in the portal all let out a huge sigh of relief when Stokes committed to Kansas. Now they know Kentucky still has money left and we can be the second hat on the table to drive up their NIL offer from the school they actually want.

Your dream would then be realized and you can get started on trying to fire the next coach.
nice
 
Jul 17, 2025
69
74
18
I don't have the same desperation sense for the SF spot as most others apparently do. I've thought since before the end of the season that K. Williams, B. Hawthorne, and Noah could be a good SF group. I think Williams is likely to be a good 3 & D guy and a 40% spot up 3pt. shooter. Nevertheless, I have a feeling that Hawthorne will become increasing difficult to keep out of the starting lineup and by the 2nd half of the season (if not sooner) have arguments all over the board here about who the starting SF should be. And then Noah as a 3rd string SF is more than fine on any college roster - I thought he would improve more from his freshman season than he did, but he's fine in that role. Basically, if the other spots are good enough - and I think there are reasons to think they could be - I don't think the SF spot will be the position to hold UK back.
You take talent where you can get it and make it work especially with wings but I agree that small forward isn't particularly a need and may be a strength with some progression.

Volume three maker(s) is what is needed to sew this together.

What is going on with Paul McNeil? Going to the draft? Staying at NC State? He seems like a guy like that would be a hot target no matter what. Move him between 2-3 as guys rotate to keep the threat on the floor.
 

AllBall

All-American
May 5, 2015
4,778
6,235
93
Tounde staying in draft, Joksimovic is the guy IMO and Milan if we can land him. Harris isn’t coming here. Then of course we need another big IMO and plenty of Euro options. A Hampton Reclass to play the 3 is also an option.
Joksimovic is our best option. Agreed

It's a tier below but I wouldn't be mad at Josiah Parker from FAU as a wing or Halaifonua from Georgetown as a big to split minutes with Moreno.
 
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Eagles_Ball_69

All-American
Dec 19, 2003
4,118
5,609
82
That's not the way I see it. I can't "know" whether the position will play out well, but it's not hard to see the potential there in my opinion.
You have a very positive view of the potential, that is for sure. One is a guy who wasn’t good enough to play half the season last year. Another was 40 lbs too light to play last year. And the last one is a shooter that couldn’t hit a H O R S E shot in a game. I think it’s even easier to see those are all bad options if you’re trying to win the SEC and be a national title contender.
 
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HipTer

Senior
Apr 11, 2012
1,048
782
113
You take talent where you can get it and make it work especially with wings but I agree that small forward isn't particularly a need and may be a strength with some progression.

Volume three maker(s) is what is needed to sew this together.

What is going on with Paul McNeil? Going to the draft? Staying at NC State? He seems like a guy like that would be a hot target no matter what. Move him between 2-3 as guys rotate to keep the threat on the floor.
I haven't read anything lately about UK being an option for McNeil, but you've identified one of the best a shooters in CBB. He would be a great 2G pickup. I think I saw speculation about UNC with him, or going back to NCSt., or maybe LSU (where his one-year coach Wade jumped ship to).
 
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TFCat11

Heisman
Mar 25, 2019
6,125
11,137
108
And then They announce McBride 30 minutes before Stokes like McBride is anywhere on stokes's level. This staff is clueless
That might be the most cringe move I’ve ever seen from a coach to attempt to steal another recruit’s thunder!

You know the Prom Queen is about to pick the football team’s quarterback instead of you for her next dance, so the song before, you trot out on the dance floor with the 225 pound catcher from the girl’s softball team!🤣

Somehow, someway, Pope keeps finding ways to out embarrass himself.
 

JonathanW2

Senior
Aug 6, 2025
548
811
93
McBride, he's the consolation prize. Roster is complete.
Roster isn't "complete". Don't be stupid. We can't play a season with 3 guards, one of whom is a mid-tier FR.
We will add a solid (hopefully good) 3pt shooter at G, and then I think we add another international guy none of us have ever heard of, but will at least on paper and video appear to be a good pickup (but TBD if he really is).
 

TFCat11

Heisman
Mar 25, 2019
6,125
11,137
108
No, but we'll add another big man and probably 2 guards. We're not rolling out Potter and Zyon and Mason as our 2nd string.
Simply adding bodies isn’t changing the amount of losses that’s going to add up next season.

Pope needed 2 bona fide stars in the starting lineup to even have a chance at less than 10 losses, he has zero.

Folks buckle up, next season is shaping up to be an embarrassment for the ages, that will brought up by UK’s rivals for years to come.
 
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TFCat11

Heisman
Mar 25, 2019
6,125
11,137
108
Momcilovic and a guard who can shoot 34% from deep in meaningful games and play defense well enough to stay on floor (including if Noah somehow transforms into that) will put us with a Sweet Sixteen/Elite Eight ceiling if everything breaks right and we have no injuries. I think that’s the best we can possibly hope for. Can you believe we’re less than a year out from looking like we were toying with #1 Purdue without even our point guard? Man were we naïve.
Come down from the ledge man, this team ain’t even sniffing the NCAAT.
 

jeffky

All-American
Sep 22, 2017
3,566
6,852
113
What crying bill self is going to have his hands full with tyran and that ego . He is a great athlete but his character needs a reality check . He can come unhinged at anytime .time to move on hopefully we will learn from this fiasco. When a player is unwilling to commit don't let them play you like this player did for months "MOVE ON"
 

*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
45,754
83,090
113
Momcilovic and a guard who can shoot 34% from deep in meaningful games and play defense well enough to stay on floor (including if Noah somehow transforms into that) will put us with a Sweet Sixteen/Elite Eight ceiling if everything breaks right and we have no injuries. I think that’s the best we can possibly hope for. Can you believe we’re less than a year out from looking like we were toying with #1 Purdue without even our point guard? Man were we naïve.
Noah has about a good of a chance at being an impact player as we did getting Stokes.
 

GoBigBlue1224

All-Conference
Jan 19, 2020
1,019
1,514
65
At this point it’s best to assume that we either won’t go after the few actual players left who can make a major impact, or that if we do get on their lists it’s only to raise their NIL offer from the school the prefer to attend.
LOL valid point. Seems like having UK on the list right now makes a difference in a couple million dollars. Especially now that other schools see how desperate we are to land a player that is a difference maker. If I was Momcilovic, I am saying UK is my top choice.
 
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The Ganner

Senior
Nov 21, 2009
262
698
93
Okay Mr. Rowland… Make your loss total prediction for next season, and I’ll make mine. Let’s set up a 3rd party escrow, and deposit let’s say, $2500 each, and whoever is closer takes the pot👍🏼
I agree with Rowland that while we're not good enough, we're not going to be the dumpster fire some of you are predicting. If we have our starting 5 and add a few reserve pieces, I think we'll have a season somewhere in the range of the first 2. I think a lot of people would rather be terrible than mediocre because it will force UK's hand in firing Pope, and you're looking at things through the most pessimistic lens possible.
 

TeamAmerica

All-Conference
Jul 3, 2025
1,278
4,851
113
I agree with Rowland that while we're not good enough, we're not going to be the dumpster fire some of you are predicting. If we have our starting 5 and add a few reserve pieces, I think we'll have a season somewhere in the range of the first 2. I think a lot of people would rather be terrible than mediocre because it will force UK's hand in firing Pope, and you're looking at things through the most pessimistic lens possible.
They aren't going to be Kenny Payne bad but the will be a bubble team and that's with the new 78 team format.
 

Hughhefner

Freshman
Feb 21, 2026
47
63
18
Roster isn't "complete". Don't be stupid. We can't play a season with 3 guards, one of whom is a mid-tier FR.
We will add a solid (hopefully good) 3pt shooter at G, and then I think we add another international guy none of us have ever heard of, but will at least on paper and video appear to be a good pickup (but TBD if he really is).
Sarcasm
 
Apr 29, 2026
33
61
0
Regardless of who he can still get there isn't enough out there to make Kentucky national title contenders, right? Is there anyone that still believes next year Kentucky can be a title contender? I don't believe we are the dumpster fire some do but I genuinely can't see us being actual contenders.