CBS Sports: Super talented four-star recruit commits to Kentucky.
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In his first season as head coach of the SEC school, Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
In the end, the Wildcats finished the season 24-12 after losing to league foe Tennessee 78-65 in Indianapolis.
The Wildcats made it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2018–2019 season, when they won the Sweet 16 but lost in the Elite Eight round, but it was their fourth consecutive year doing so.
The Wildcats and the rest of college basketball have been using the transfer site since the March 28 loss. One of the Wildcats’ important backups came off the bench to deliver good news to coach Pope and the team.
On3’s Joe Tipton published this in relation to the roster announcement. “A source informed @on3 that Brandon Garrison will be returning to Kentucky for the upcoming season. This season, the 6-10 big averaged 3.9 rebounds and 5.9 points per game.
Garrison played in 35 games, averaging 17.3 minutes per game. It was his first season in Lexington, after starting his collegiate career at Oklahoma State. Garrison elected to leave the Cowboys following the firing of head coach Mike Boynton. He was originally ranked as a four-star prospect, listed as the No. 5 center and No. 36 overall player in the class of 2023, per 247Sports.
Five-star center Malachi Moreno and guard Jasper Johnson are part of Pope’s incoming recruiting class. Croatian player Andrija Jelavic is also joining the Wildcats.
Kentucky has lost Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson, Andrew Carr, Amari Williams, Koby Brea, and Ansley Almonor from 2024-2025 squad due to eligibility expiration.
Kerr Kriisa has committed to Cincinnati and quit the program. Lamar Wilkerson from Sam Houston State, Alvaro Folgueiras from Robert Morris, and Elyjah Freeman arrive in Lexington through the gateway from DII Lincoln Memorial.
Xaivian Lee, who spent the previous three seasons at Princeton, has reportedly also considered Kentucky as one of his final four destinations, according to Blake Von Hagen of CBS Sports.
