When John Calipari left Kentucky to take the head coaching job at Arkansas, athletic director Mitch Barnhart decided to turn to former Kentucky star Mark Pope. A national champion for the Wildcats in 1996, Pope enjoyed a six-year NBA career before spending four years as the head coach at Utah Valley State and five years at BYU. Now, he takes over a Kentucky basketball roster that will be overhauled after every scholarship player from last year entered the college basketball transfer portal, NBA Draft or exhausted their eligibility.
Pope has one commitment in the Class of 2024, four-star point guard Travis Perry, and has quickly added seven commitments in the college basketball transfer portal. However, he'll still have to work on Kentucky basketball recruiting to build a squad capable of hitting the ground running in Lexington. 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
All seven of the commitments that Pope has added over the last few weeks in the transfer portal played significant roles for their respective teams last season, so Pope has wasted no time adding valuable experience. Lamont Butler was the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year for San Diego State last season, while Amari Williams was the CAA Defensive Player of the Year at Duquesne.
With those two players on the roster, Pope will expect a strong defense to buoy the squad early in the season. Meanwhile, Koby Brea was the A-10 Sixth Man of the Year for Dayton, while Andrew Carr, Otega Oweh and Kerr Kriisa were all starters for Power Five schools a season ago. So who else will Pope be able to land and who will be the next domino to fall for Kentucky? 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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