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LEXINGTON — Kentucky basketball has 14 players on its 2026-27 roster. That means coach Mark Pope and the Wildcats still have one scholarship available.
During a news conference Friday, July 24, Pope didn't rule out adding that piece before the season begins.
"We're actively — every day — in conversations with everything from international guys, reclass (high school) guys, still transfer portal guys," Pope said, "And then, of course, this looming fifth-year eligibility, which would bring a huge influx of talent into the recruitable pool right now — some guys that could be game changers.
"And as we, like everybody else, wait to see how that works out, we're definitely holding this spot to see if there's something that can make us better."
Bringing in a player late in the game wouldn't be unprecented for Kentucky in the Pope era. Just last year, it had to wait until August for Croatian big man Andrija Jelavić to arrive on campus. The timing meant he missed all eight weeks of the program's summer workouts.
So while Pope and his staff explore the possibility of using their final slot, he won't force the issue. Because he'd "go to battle this group in a second," he vowed.
"I love our roster right now. I like the way the pieces fit," Pope said. "I like the versatility of our guys. I think we have depth because we have versatility. We've already seen that this summer as we've had some guys that have had to miss some time, and so I think we could function at a really high level."
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Is Kentucky basketball's 2026-27 roster complete? What Mark Pope says
Continue reading...
During a news conference Friday, July 24, Pope didn't rule out adding that piece before the season begins.
"We're actively — every day — in conversations with everything from international guys, reclass (high school) guys, still transfer portal guys," Pope said, "And then, of course, this looming fifth-year eligibility, which would bring a huge influx of talent into the recruitable pool right now — some guys that could be game changers.
"And as we, like everybody else, wait to see how that works out, we're definitely holding this spot to see if there's something that can make us better."
Bringing in a player late in the game wouldn't be unprecented for Kentucky in the Pope era. Just last year, it had to wait until August for Croatian big man Andrija Jelavić to arrive on campus. The timing meant he missed all eight weeks of the program's summer workouts.
So while Pope and his staff explore the possibility of using their final slot, he won't force the issue. Because he'd "go to battle this group in a second," he vowed.
"I love our roster right now. I like the way the pieces fit," Pope said. "I like the versatility of our guys. I think we have depth because we have versatility. We've already seen that this summer as we've had some guys that have had to miss some time, and so I think we could function at a really high level."
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Is Kentucky basketball's 2026-27 roster complete? What Mark Pope says
Continue reading...
