The Kentucky Wildcats have a new head coach for the first time in 15 years, as they hired former Kentucky player Mark Pope following the departure of John Calipari to Arkansas. Pope was a captain on the 1996 national title team in Lexington and is the 23rd head coach in the storied history of the program. He has been a head coach for nine years, making stops at Utah Valley and BYU, winning at least 20 games in six of the last seven seasons. However, he has a new challenge on his hands as he tries to build a fresh Kentucky basketball roster from the college basketball transfer portal.
Kentucky lost its entire roster from last season after Calipari made the move to Fayetteville, giving Pope a blank slate to work with. He has already added multiple key transfers and Kentucky basketball recruits, but there are several more players who could be committing in the coming days. If you love the Wildcats, or just want the latest roster updates and college basketball transfer portal news, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at CatsPause, the 247Sports affiliate that covers Kentucky.
The team of insiders at CatsPause.com are providing up-to-the-minute scoop on the latest intel surrounding the Kentucky basketball coaching transition and roster changes. CatsPause has built a solid reputation over its 20+ years covering the Wildcats, and has deep-rooted sources inside and around the Kentucky athletic department. And right now, CatsPause is offering 50% off the first year of an annual subscriptions*, so now is the time to sign up.
The team at CatsPause has full coverage of who is coming and who is going on the Kentucky basketball roster. Head to CatsPause now to see all the insider info.
Kentucky basketball roster departures
The 2024-25 Kentucky basketball roster is quickly starting to take shape, as Pope landed another key player earlier this week. San Diego State transfer Lamont Butler, the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year last season, committed to Kentucky as one of the top players from the college basketball transfer portal. He averaged 9.3 points, 3.0 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 27.6 minutes per game and has played in 11 career NCAA Tournament games.
Kentucky's defense is already looking like a strength, as three-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year Amari Williams also committed earlier this month. He averaged 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.8 blocks per game for Drexel last season. Pope also has a pair of recruits committed in Travis Perry and Collin Chandler and is hosting multiple visitors in the coming days. Join CatsPause to see the latest on all of Kentucky's roster changes.
Kentucky basketball news, roster
Commitments are rolling in for Pope right now, as a trio of important Kentucky basketball transfers chose the Wildcats over the weekend. San Diego State guard Lamont Butler joined Kentucky on Friday, while Oklahoma guard Otega Oweh committed on Saturday. Wake Forest forward Andrew Carr rounded out the exciting weekend in Lexington when he announced his decision on Sunday.
Pope now has six players on his initial roster, as he had already picked up commitments from Drexel transfer Amari Williams and a pair of recruits in Travis Perry and Collin Chandler. Butler and Williams were both defensive player of the year recipients in their respective conferences last season. Meanwhile, Carr averaged 13.5 points in 32.5 minutes last season, shooting 37.1% from 3-point range. Join CatsPause to get the latest on all of Kentucky's roster additions.
How to get insider Kentucky basketball roster updates
Pope could also be bringing at least one big-time BYU player with him, so be sure to join CatsPause to see who that is and get the rest of the insider roster news.
Who are the top names Kentucky basketball is pursuing under coach Mark Pope, and what former BYU player could land in Lexington? Go to CatsPause to see their insider information, all from a team of reporters with years of experience covering the Wildcats, and find out. And reminder, CatsPause is offering 50% off the first year of an annual VIP membership*, so subscribe now before it's too late.
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