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Kentucky Basketball’s eight-week summer training block came to an end on Thursday, as Mark Pope opened the Wildcats’ final summer practice at Rupp Arena to fans with just over an hour’s notice via an Instagram Live invitation.
Despite the short notice, 250-300 fans were able to attend for a firsthand look at this season’s roster, including A Sea of Blue and other media.
To start, Pope built the practice up on social media around the Winners Board battle. The Winners Board, which tracks player wins across drills and scrimmages in practice, had a tie for first place between Malachi Moreno and Jerone Morton at 55 wins, with Zoom Diallo and Milan Momcilovic close behind at 53 and 52 wins.
At the conclusion of practice, Jerone Morton came out on top with 62 wins, followed by Moreno at 58 wins. To finish the top 5: T-3 Diallo (54), T-3 Momcilovic (54), T-5 Wilkins (52), T-5 Williams (52).
Now, how about the takeaways:
Jerone Morton, the vet
Morton comes in as the lowest-ranked transfer from the Wildcats’ 2026 portal haul, ranked 436th overall (247 Sports), expected to back up the backcourt of Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins. However, concurring with his Winners Board victory, the senior guard will be a welcome and steady presence off the bench.
While he may not be flashy or super athletic, he is willing to do the small things, play with effort on the defensive end, and doesn’t look to force things on the court.
Mason Williams, the surprise freshman
Freshman guard Mason Williams has also been a pleasant surprise. Heralded for the work ethic instilled in him by his father and assistant coach Mo Williams, Mason was the first player on the practice court today and has attempted the most shots of anyone on the team this summer, per the NOAH shooting system.
Today, he showed the ability to get into the paint with a college-ready frame, make good reads, giving him potential for real minutes this season.
Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins, the creators
As for the starting backcourt of Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins, Mark Pope has expressed his excitement about the backcourt duo multiple times this offseason. According to Synergy’s analytics, the two are very similar players.
While it is most common for backcourts to include players that complement each other with varying archetypes, Pope is making the bet that they can complement each other with similar strengths and weaknesses, and by being a part of a more talented team than their last stops, can become more efficient players.
Pope’s system doesn’t need a true point guard, but Diallo will handle the ball slightly more than Wilkins. He is the leader of this team. An aggressive downhill guard, Diallo is looking to get into the paint and create when the ball is in his hands, but he did have some unforced turnovers.
Wilkins may have the highest ceiling on the team. While not as strong as Diallo, Wilkins has the handle and speed to get by his defenders. He also isn’t afraid of perimeter shots off the dribble. Just a sophomore, he is still unlearning some of the bad habits he developed at Furman, where a less talented roster required him to carry a much larger offensive role.
Milan Momcilovic, the elite shooter
Milan Momcilovic’s shooting is as elite as advertised. The senior wing became the first player in college basketball history to lead the country in 3-pointers made (136) and 3-point percentage (48.7%) last season, and he couldn’t miss inside of Rupp Arena, as if the baskets were oceans for him, hitting open shots and contested off the catch, and even a fading step-back 3 from the wing. Momcilovic showed just how much of a green light he has, shooting a 27-foot pull-up in transition at one point in practice.
As Mark Pope has done in years past, the team has started each practice this summer with shooting 100 3-point shots. This past week in practice, Momcilovic shot in the high 70-percent range.
Malachi Moreno, All-SEC candidate
Malachi Moreno was priority number one for Kentucky this offseason and for good reason. The former five-star is looking to build on his All-SEC freshman team campaign, and he is looking the part.
Still working to build his strength and improve his physicality in the weight room, Moreno looked a little quicker on the court on Thursday, but with the strength to work in the paint. In shooting and transition drills, he even extended to the 3-point line, which could add another option as the big in zoom action.
Moreno also showed his ability to protect the rim, which improved over the course of last season.
Some work to do on defense
This team’s offensive potential could be among the best in the country. However, there are some real concerns on the defensive end.
In what they lack in physicality and size, the staff is looking to make up for in length, which does stand out. However, there were several instances of poor rotations and close outs, leading to defensive breakdowns.
One player who notably struggled was Ousmane N’Diaye.
Roster Injury Update
Kam Williams is still in a boot after having a second surgery on the foot he broke back in January, but is expected to return before the start of the season. While wearing practice gear, Trent Noah was another player who did not participate on Thursday.
On a positive note, Franck Kepnang returned to practice this week as the seventh-year player went through some load management and conditioning through most of the summer. At 6-foot-11, 253 pounds, he lacked no physicality and had some monstrous dunks.
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