Mark Pope is on the board in 2027, offering his first scholarship in the sophomore class — and it’s a big one. Baba Oladotun, a 6-foot-8 forward out of Maryland, scored an offer from Kentucky on Monday, his father tells Jacob Polacheck of KSR+.
“We are super excited,” Ibrahim Baba told KSR+. “Coach Pope is a cool guy.”
Oladotun is rated as the No. 2 overall prospect and No. 1 small forward in the On3 Industry Ranking. Kentucky joins the likes of UCLA, Texas, Indiana, Tennessee, Michigan, Mississippi State, USC and Virginia Tech to extend offers to the five-star wing.
A standout at James Hubert Blake HS in Maryland, the 165-pound prospect was recently ranked No. 25 overall and one of just four 2027 prospects in On3’s top 25 long-term high school basketball recruits, regardless of class.
“Baba Oladotun has an intriguing player archetype,” On3’s Jamie Shaw said of the five-star. “The lengthy frame checks boxes, and so do his bloodlines. Oladotun made waves early on with his shot-making. Standing in the 6-foot-8 range, he showed he could hoist off-balanced 30-footers and knock them down in game. Oladotun continues to showcase the range when he plays, and he has an intriguing ability to create space with his footwork to get into off-balanced, step-back-type shots in the half-court.”
Oladotun’s father previously told KSR+ that Kentucky was an intriguing option for his son when things ramp up in his recruitment down the road.
“Mark Pope has a good history,” he said. “It’s something we’ve heard about. He’s a great coach. We know that Kentucky has a great infrastructure, great facilities, and a rich tradition. … That’s a blue blood school with a great history. Kentucky is quite impressive as an institution. They’re always going to be great because of the tradition and who they can hire as a coach.”
Now he’s got an offer in hand to confirm that mutual interest.
Compared to a young Kevin Durant, can Kentucky position itself as an early contender for Oladotun?
