When John Calipari took over as head coach of Kentucky men’s basketball after the 2008-09 season, he inherited a program that hadn’t made it past the second round of the NCAA Tournament in the last four seasons. Calipari made an immediate impact, guiding Kentucky to the Elite Eight in his first year, followed by a Final Four appearance and National Championship in his third season. After Calipari left Kentucky to become the Arkansas head coach, new Kentucky head coach Mark Pope finds himself in a similar position as Calipari when he first started. Kentucky hasn’t made it out of the second round of the NCAA Tournament in any of the last four years either. The Kentucky basketball roster will be heavily dictated by the transfer portal this season. Many of the top 2024 Kentucky basketball recruits have re-opened their commitments as Kentucky currently has a Class of 2024 on the edge of falling outside of the top 100 in the nation, per 247Sports. The team of insiders at CatsPause is 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. The team at CatsPause has full coverage of who is coming and who is going on the Kentucky basketball roster. The 2024 Kentucky basketball roster took a hit when reigning SEC Rookie of the Year, Reed Sheppard, said he is entering the NBA Draft. Sheppard is a projected lottery pick, so this move was possible with or without Calipari as the head coach, but Calipari leaving will certainly make it more challenging to bring in a player of Sheppard’s talent. D.J. Wagner has joined the extended list of Wildcats in the transfer portal as Kentucky is projected to lose its top 10 leading scorers from last season. Billy Richmond, the No. 22 recruit in the country, became the latest Kentucky signee to decommit when re-opening his recruitment on April 16 as Pope has a lot of work ahead in shaping the 2024-25 Kentucky men’s basketball roster. Every player slated to return from Kentucky’s 2023-24 roster played sparingly last year, so Pope needs to add impact players quickly. One of his former signees at BYU, guard Collin Chandler, has committed to join Pope at Kentucky. The Wildcats still have one remaining player from Calipari’s 2024 recruiting class — point guard Travis Perry, the No. 73 player in the nation, per 247Sports. Jordan Burks, Brennan Canada, Kareem Watkins, Walker Horn, Grant Derbyshire are the other players who, as of now, are expected to return, though none averaged more than 2.0 points per game in 2023-24. With at least eight scholarships available, Pope will actively look to add to the roster. For example, Pope reportedly has been in contact with TCU transfer JaKobe Coles, and he’ll be looking at all options remaining in the 2024 recruiting class and the portal to be competitive immediately in Lexington. Pope could also be bringing at least one big-time BYU player with him.
Kentucky Men’s Basketball: Mark Pope Faces Roster Rebuild Challenge
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