247Sports news: Mark Pope the first-year coach at Kentucky, has already secured a seven-member transfer class that is ranks fifth nationally

The Wildcats intend to use their final roster space wisely.

Mark Pope, the first-year coach at Kentucky, has already secured a seven-member transfer class that 247Sports presently ranks fifth nationally.

He has committed ten scholarship players in total to the Wildcats’ 2024–25 squad.

But the task is not finished yet.

Pope is still actively recruiting North Florida transfer Chaz Lanier, BYU Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year Jaxson Robinson, and Miami transfer Wooga Poplar in order to fill the void left by his lack of a proven bucket-getter. This week, Pope has visited the G League Elite Camp, scouting Lanier and Poplar, as well as the NBA Draft Combine, scouting Robinson.

Ansley Almonor, a transfer forward from Fairleigh Dickinson, is now in the UK for an official visit as part of their efforts to bolster their frontcourt depth.

Pope stated that using all 13 roster spots is the intention in an interview with Jon Rothstein, a college basketball insider for CBS Sports.

Right now, we have ten scholarships awarded. I need to add two really, really crucial items. According to Pope, the 13th scholarship is a movable item. “A young player might find a home there. A senior player who plans to take a redshirt year may be able to use it. It might serve as a project location. Something for a high-risk guy, perhaps? We’re working very hard to fill these final two positions. Right now, it is a top priority.”

That was emphasized by UK assistant Cody Fueger during a Tuesday appearance on Kentucky Sports Radio.

“We’re going to fill all 13 scholarships, but I anticipate we’ll get down to 12 here in the next couple of weeks. Unless it’s obvious that we need someone, we’ll fill slots one and two and hold onto this third. We just plan to take our time filling the thirteenth spot on the roster. There’s always something shifting. The coach from Wyoming has joined Texas Tech as an assistant. You never know which young European will decide to play basketball in college later in life. The environment surrounding collegiate basketball is so dynamic and ever-changing at the moment.”

Pope says it won’t necessarily be a bad thing to start from zero at Kentucky the next season after losing all 13 of his scholarship players from the previous season due to graduation, the transfer portal, or the NBA Draft.

“The project is in its first year. However, compared to the team we had at BYU last year, this one has a lot more experience. These men have a track record of success. They have made it into the national championship game by making clutch shots and making it into the NCAA Tournament several times. Guys who have played at the highest level for a long time and are very experienced, remarked Pope.

Although it was daunting, having to start over here was ultimately a huge benefit. We had the opportunity to personally select players who complemented our style of play. We wish to play more games in the same genre as we did the previous year. I’m really happy with our current roster. There are still a few extremely crucial parts that need to be added. I adore it on paper.”