Year two of the Mark Pope era at Kentucky Wildcats basketball looks bright. After a very successful first season, Pope set out to assemble an even better team, and came away from the transfer portal as one of the offseason’s biggest winners, according to CBS.
Kentucky’s transfer class includes Jayden Quantance, who is the biggest name of the group as a former five-star recruit. However, they added some other highly regarded players as well.
Mouhamed Dioubate is a highly regarded defender and rebounder. Jaland Lowe is a steady point guard and terrific distributor, Kam Williams is a skilled shooter from outside, and Denzel Aberdeen is a quality defender with a wide range of skills. Then, Reece Potter is a seven-footer with potential as well.
CBS analyst David Cobb is impressed by what Pope has done, saying:
Kentucky went shopping in the luxury aisle and came away with some high-end portal additions to reinforce a roster that is losing five double-figure scorers to due to the expiration of eligibility.
Speaking on the talent they added:
Five of the additions are ranked among the top-60 transfers, headlined by No. 12 Jayden Quaintance. After shining as a shot-blocking freshman at Arizona State last season, Quaintance will combine with ex-Alabama forward Mo Dioubate to give the Wildcats a ferocious front court. Jaland Lowe (Pitt) will run the show at point guard after averaging 5.5 assists for the Panthers, while Denzel Aberdeen (Florida) and Kam Williams (Tulane) will add perimeter pop. Year 1 under coach Mark Pope showed proof of concept, and now the Wildcats are poised to keep building after a strong offseason.
