My predictions on how the portal will shake out

megablue

Heisman
Oct 2, 2012
15,548
15,632
113
Here is a look at your picks for Kentucky:
 

philstat

All-American
Jan 3, 2004
10,258
7,750
56
Freeman is the only day one impact performer. I believe we most definitely get Daeshun Ruffin as well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TFCat11

MethodUK

All-Conference
Mar 29, 2009
4,634
1,752
113
I know we have so much doom and gloom right now. Hopefully we can somehow pull out of this. Hate to be negative but at this point I hope we can just make the dang tournament. The game and recruiting has changed. I don't know if you can even call it recruiting anymore. More like head hunting with bags of cash.
 

*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
44,853
80,795
113
Don't know who this guy is but he's from Wisconsin and has a lot of followers. Read that PJ Haggerty will enter the portal soon too. Probably moves to the top of the PG rankings but I think he'll be at his 5th (!!!) school.


Wisconsins guards were awesome. I’d take him for sure, I wouldn’t mind that Syracuse Forward. Riley and Byrd would be good options for depth. I think it would be a nice haul if we ended up with those 4 and a couple shooters along with who we got back. I’d prefer a bonafide NBA talent to go with it but if we return the right guys with them it could work.
 

Drogon

All-Conference
Mar 14, 2017
1,706
2,254
113
Those first 2 players. Ugh.

Mediocrity, thy name is Kentucky. Please be so kind as to stay tf away from us, Mediocrity. This is a legendary college basketball program. The most legendary of all Legendary programs. We need star players. Dime a dozen rentals are why we are in this mess of 26 losses in 2 seasons.

Blackwell and Freeman now we're talking.

Haggerty, man, he's a mercenary to the nth degree. Not really a fan of players like that no matter how good they are. I'm mean if you were to get him you know you're getting a guy who can score the ball against anyone so you aren't necessarily losing out. It's just that type of highest bidder every year player doesn't really fit the Kentucky basketball brand. It's one thing to come in as a one and done and leave. To switch teams every year is a whole other level.
 

TFCat11

Heisman
Mar 25, 2019
5,795
10,218
108
A lot of fan’s instant reaction to portal entrants, is thinking how a certain player fits with what Pope wants to do, and what the team potentially needs to succeed, and totally neglects to consider that every other high major program will be going hard after every single one of them!

Have any of you seen ANYTHING the past two cycles to suggest that Pope will be successful in winning a single recruiting battle?

He’s not beating out any of the usual suspects, so who exactly does everyone think he’ll get that will move the needle?

I (and others) said months ago, that Pope isn’t going to wake up one morning and all the sudden become an ace recruiter! So again, how is he supposed to right the ship when all the other coaches are going to get the best of the portal, leaving Pope with the usual leftovers?

We’re all familiar with the definition of Insanity, correct?
 

megablue

Heisman
Oct 2, 2012
15,548
15,632
113
A lot of fan’s instant reaction to portal entrants, is thinking how a certain player fits with what Pope wants to do, and what the team potentially needs to succeed, and totally neglects to consider that every other high major program will be going hard after every single one of them!

Have any of you seen ANYTHING the past two cycles to suggest that Pope will be successful in winning a single recruiting battle?

He’s not beating out any of the usual suspects, so who exactly does everyone think he’ll get that will move the needle?

I (and others) said months ago, that Pope isn’t going to wake up one morning and all the sudden become an ace recruiter! So again, how is he supposed to right the ship when all the other coaches are going to get the best of the portal, leaving Pope with the usual leftovers?

We’re all familiar with the definition of Insanity, correct?
Until he proves otherwise, it is difficult to argue with the points you have made.
 

KyWideWes

Junior
Dec 11, 2025
111
215
43
There's a lot of "I don't want player X, Y, and Z because they just seem like hired mercenaries." Well, when players are getting paid millions of dollars, all of them are potential hired mercenaries. Anyone that doesn't understand that needs to take off the blue-tinted glasses and wake up to 2026.
I guess to some degree but if a guy puts up good numbers for 4 teams in 4 years and those teams are mediocre to bad then it is not hard to conclude he is not a winning player.
 

philstat

All-American
Jan 3, 2004
10,258
7,750
56
There's a lot of "I don't want player X, Y, and Z because they just seem like hired mercenaries." Well, when players are getting paid millions of dollars, all of them are potential hired mercenaries. Anyone that doesn't understand that needs to take off the blue-tinted glasses and wake up to 2026.
Sadly true
 

#1 cat fan

Sophomore
May 7, 2009
185
168
43
Star PG still lingering as a monstrous hole but a supporting core of: Chandler, Moreno, Riley, Byrd, and Freeman would be huge.

Kudos for trying to make picks with very little information.
No it's more of what we've had. We have to have play makers at the guard positions. How can anyone watch a basketball game and not see the difference in high level teams, and what we had this year. There's a reason in crunch time Oweh and Aberdeen were the only 2 players that could touch the ball.
If we go into the season with Chandler as our 2g we are going to be 8 or 9 seed again. Simple as that.
 

peterpiper09

All-Conference
Mar 19, 2006
1,067
2,120
112
I’m not really sure what we’ll end up with. There seems to be some really good pieces out there. Have to get two or three really good ones, and two or three serviceable ones.
 
  • Like
Reactions: cornbreadnmilk