The Kentucky Wildcats are looking to build out their roster for next season. Having had their season end via a Sweet 16 battle with the Tennessee Volunteers last week, BBN will be looking to see how Mark Pope can build out his second roster.
Pope’s first team with Kentucky was built on the back of transfer players, mainly due to the hand he was dealt after the exodus of John Calipari. With promising young players like Jasper Johnson coming to Lexington, the Cats will have to replace a good chunk of their offensive firepower from this year’s squad, including Lamont Butler, who was instrumental in the Cats’ NCAA Tournament run.
That’s where Maryland guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie could come into play…if it’s not too late.
The Terrapins guard recently declared for the transfer portal, and Kentucky, per Kentucky Sports Radio’s Jacob Polacheck, is getting involved. Pope reportedly reached out to Gillespie’s father.
Gillespie has earned quite the accolades at the amateur level, being named to the MVC All-Defense team during his time at Belmont and having been part of this past season’s All-Big Ten roster. He averaged 14.7 points per game with Maryland, shooting 45.3% from the field and 40.7% from deep. He’s a playmaker as well, averaging 4.8 assists per game.
The 6-foot guard would be a welcome addition to BBN, but he’s expected to go to Tennessee. On3’s Pete Nakos logged a prediction in favor of the Vols with medium confidence. Gillespie is a Tennessee native who previously played for Belmont, and it sounds like this marriage could have been in the works for some time.
Elsewhere, UNLV point guard Dedan Thomas has committed to LSU, per On3’s Joe Tipton, so that’s another option off the board.
Kentucky was among the schools who showed interest early, but there wasn’t much mention of them leading into his commitment to the Tigers, so perhaps they’re eyeing other options like Georgia’s Silas Demary Jr.
That said, the Cats did get Tulane forward Kam Williams recently, so Pope’s prospecting is still intriguing some of the best transfer portal players.
Let’s just hope he gets a few more to round out what should be a solid roster next season.
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