When John Calipari was coaching for the University of Kentucky, he seemed to have what appeared to be heavy roster turnover pretty much every season. That was in large part due to one-and-done recruits headed to the NBA but if a recruit came to Kentucky and didn’t fit early on or found themselves stuck on the bench, it wasn’t long before they transferred.
After Calipari left this spring, Kentucky’s entire roster either declared for the NBA draft, transferred to another school or had graduated/played their final year of eligibility.
Thanks to the transfer portal, new head coach Mark Pope was able to work quickly to build a roster for his first year coaching Kentucky. He also kept in-state recruit Travis Perry on board and flipped Trent Noah from South Carolina to Kentucky — both a huge win earlier this year.
In fact, Pope and his staff have built a roster that has caught the eye of new Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey. Pope and Kelsey were keynote speakers at the Leadership Louisville Center luncheon where they talked about leadership but also threw in some basketball talk.
Kelsey said he’s paid very close attention to Pope’s roster and work early on at Kentucky, citing his main reason for doing so being the rivalry between Kentucky and Louisville.
He went on to say “He’s like Noah’s Ark. He’s got two of everything.” when talking about the roster Pope has constructed. Which is quite true when looking down the entire roster.
Pope has several shooters, ball-handlers, big men, primary defenders and leaders. It’s pretty incredible how he was able to construct such a team so quickly. But that’s the art of the transfer portal and, of course, understanding the true meaning of Kentucky basketball.
Tweet of the Day
We’re down to just one more day.
Headlines
ESPN Projects Only a 5-7 Season for Kentucky – Vaught’s Views
What do you project?
49ers, Brandon Aiyuk reach 4-year, $120M extension – ESPN
Finally we can talk about something else.
Former UK star Gabriel Diallo advances to third round of US Open – KSR
Pretty awesome.
Sanders, Hunter help Colorado hold off North Dakota St. – ESPN
They’re an electric combo.
Tubby Smith offers Mark Pope words of wisdom on replacing Calipari – KSR
He’s exactly right.
Scheffler extends lead to seven to open FedEx Cup finale – CBS Sports
So dominant.
Brock Vandagriff will ‘get pretty emotional’ at Kroger Field – KSR
Fans will love his passion.
CFB predictions for top Week 1 games on Friday – CBS Sports
Which game are you watching tonight?
