Kentucky Wildcat Basketball Recruiting

[jbcarol]

@KySportsRadio
Trent Noah commits to KENTUCKY!!!!

@MattNorlander with the report
5:19 PM · May 8, 2024
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[jbcarol]

A New Era of Homegrown Talent Playing for Kentucky

by: Nick Roush
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Rupp Arena was built on the backs of hard-nosed homegrown players. From Ralph Beard in Louisville to Wah Wah Jones in Harlan, the Kentucky basketball program owes its early success to talented instate players who reached their potential under Adolph Rupp.

That success created whimsical imagery of the Bluegrass version of The American Dream. Kids across the Commonwealth grow up dreaming of leading the Wildcats to glory.

That dream turned into more of a fantasy under John Calipari. The Kentucky head coach had unprecedented recruiting success across the country. Not every player from within the borders was overlooked and thanks to a revitalization of high school basketball across the state, the Kentucky Dream appears to be alive and well as Mark Pope takes over the program.

Shortly after Reed Sheppard was named National Freshman of the Year in college basketball, Trent Noah and Travis Perry played for a State Title at Rupp Arena. It was a battle of Eastern vs Western Kentucky featuring two of the top five scorers in KHSAA history. Noah had 17 points but was out-dueled by Perry, who scored 27 points to lead Lyon County to its first-ever state championship.

Mark Pope will have both elite scorers on his first Kentucky basketball roster. The two are bringing much more than shooting to the program.

"(Noah) is a tough, hard-nosed player with a special physicality," Pope said Wednesday. "As an eastern Kentucky native, Trent will bring a grit, toughness and determination to the program that is representative of this state."

One cannot win on instate talent alone.

[jbcarol]

Richie talks emotional decision to turn down Mark Pope and Kentucky

by: Jack Pilgrim
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BYU guard Richie Saunders did what every player does when their coach takes another job, certainly when it's a tight-knit relationship and a high-profile opportunity. He felt it was in his best interest to explore his options, Kentucky being one of them with Mark Pope.

After spending two seasons together in Provo and signing with the Cougars during the 2020 recruiting cycle, followed by a two-year mission away from basketball, BYU and its culture is all the Riverton, UT native has ever known.

But maybe it was time for a fresh start elsewhere?

"We spent a lot of time praying and truly trying to figure it out together. We felt like we needed to step in the portal, which was hard. I didn't think that would ever happen," Saunders said in an interview with BYU TV this week. "We started in the portal and we just really had to see what our next move was and what was best for us. We took visits and looked around at some other schools, which was so cool, because there are so many cool opportunities everywhere."

[jbcarol]

Pope breaks down his entire 10-man Kentucky roster

by: Jack Pilgrim
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"We're really excited about this roster, man, as you can probably tell."

Lamont Butler Jr.
"Winner."

Andrew Carr
"Andrew Carr is born to play for me. ..."

Koby Brea
"The most efficient offensive player in the last decade. ..."

Brandon Garrison
"I mean, this dude is gonna be a pro. He is. He is. ..."

Travis Perry
"My favorite moment with Travis Perry is Jason Hart, who played the point guard position in the league for 10 years, right? ..."

Collin Chandler
"Woo! Two inches taller! Two years away from the game..."

Trent Noah
"I think he's got a chance to be the heart and soul of this team over the next several years. ..."

Kerr Kriisa
"All I can say is, Big Blue Nation, you are welcome. Enjoy. ... "

Amari Williams
"This dude is like the bedrock of this whole team. Like, he's a veteran veteran. .."

Otega Oweh
"Kentucky fans are gonna love him. He just puts his whole guts and heart out there on the floor. He picked up 94 feet every single possession (at Oklahoma). ..."

[jbcarol]

Fairleigh Dickinson transfer forward Ansley Almonor to visit Kentucky

by: Grant Grubbs
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Kentucky is expected to host Fairleigh Dickinson forward Ansley Almonor on Tuesday, per KSR's Jacob Polachek. Almonor initially entered the transfer portal on March 19.

This story will be updated.

[jbcarol]

@KySportsRadio
UK assistant Cody Fueger says Kentucky will take two more players to get to 12 scholarships. They will then save the 13th for later to see what develops before the season
10:55 AM · May 14, 2024
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[jbcarol]

Kentucky trending as favorite to land Fairleigh Dickinson transfer Ansley Almonor

by: Zack Geoghegan
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Fairleigh Dickinson transfer Ansley Almonor arrived in Lexington for a visit on Tuesday and will stay on campus until Thursday. And although his trip has yet to wrap up, Kentucky appears to be trending as the frontrunner.

Mark Singelais of the Times Union recently spoke with Frank Ambrose, co-founder of the Siena-endorsed NIL collective Saints March On, about Almonor's situation. Siena men's basketball was once viewed as the leader to land Almonor in the portal, but that quickly changed once Kentucky entered the picture.

[jbcarol]

Jaxson Robinson Finally Opens Up

Relationship with Mark Pope

by: Nick Roush
•

One of the final remaining vacancies on Mark Pope's first Kentucky basketball roster could be filled by one of the first players mentioned to potentially follow him to Lexington.

Jaxson Robinson is spending his week competing against other prospective pros at the NBA Combine. His old BYU coach, Mark Pope, made the trip to Chicago to watch him in a scrimmage.

Robinson with the Herald-Leader's Ben Roberts:

"Just him showing up alone — that says a lot. He didn't have to do that," Robinson said. "I mean, he's at Kentucky now. He coached me at BYU. But, technically, he isn't my coach anymore. As of right now, at least.

"Our relationship is super close. I talk to him a lot. He tries to help me out when he can. So I'm making sure that I appreciate him for everything that he's done for me, especially leading up to this point. He helped me get here. I couldn't thank anybody else but Coach Pope."

As of right now

ESPN ranks Robinson as the No. 55 player in the NBA Draft, which would put him in the bottom of the second round. In addition to submitting his name for draft consideration, he also entered his name into the transfer portal. He has two weeks to decide if he will pursue professional opportunities or return to the collegiate ranks.

Robinson has relied on Pope as a resource throughout this process.

[jbcarol]

@TiptonEdits

BREAKING: Farleigh Dickinson transfer forward Ansley Almonor has committed to Kentucky, his NIL Rep Trevor Harris of Devore Sports Group tells @On3sports.

The 6-7 junior averaged 16.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game this season.

https://on3.com/college/kentucky-wildcats/news/farleigh-dickinson-transfer-forward-ansley-almonor-commits-to-kentucky

[Hog Hog]

@TiptonEdits

BREAKING: Farleigh Dickinson transfer forward Ansley Almonor has committed to Kentucky, his NIL Rep Trevor Harris of Devore Sports Group tells @On3sports.

The 6-7 junior averaged 16.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game this season.

https://on3.com/college/kentucky-wildcats/news/farleigh-dickinson-transfer-forward-ansley-almonor-commits-to-kentucky

This guy may end up being a key piece, but I think I saw an article about Siena considering him their big target out of the transfer portal and their NIL guy said something like, "we weren't expecting to be fighting Power 5 teams for him".   

[Hog Hog]

Found the article:

"We did everything to help offer him a great NIL package and were (in) the lead vs other mid majors but obviously weren't expecting to compete with a P5 (power-five program)," texted Frank Ambrose, co-founder of the Siena-endorsed NIL collective Saints March On. "It happens and we are ready to help coach close those remaining spots."

Almonor also visited MAAC rival Iona and Pepperdine.

https://www.timesunion.com/sports/article/siena-men-s-basketball-expected-lose-recruit-19457504.php