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Analyst Says DJ Wagner Has Grown Significantly Off The Court

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DJ Wagner and the Kentucky Wildcats playing against Team Germany at GLOBL JAM
UK Athletics

Being one of the prized recruits of the 2023 recruiting class and an expected Top 10 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, there are high expectations for DJ Wagner. Coming to Kentucky, he has had to make some changes both on and off the court and Rivals basketball analyst, Krysten Peek, has been following Wagner’s development for years and talked to fellow Kentucky media member Larry Vaught.

Getting Used to Sharing the Basketball

Wagner has long been a ball-dominant player, but now that he’s teaming up with other high-level guards like Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham, Peek claims that there will be some “growing pains”. A large part of that will be learning to play an off-the-ball role in certain situations.

That is not because Wagner isn’t good enough to lead Kentucky, but because the talent and versatility around him feature NBA-level guys as well. Peek has noted that since Wagner’s commitment to Kentucky in November, he has grown more comfortable playing off the ball to close out his senior season, and even in postseason all-star games, such as the McDonald’s All-American Game.

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At GLOBL JAM, Wagner showed that improvement off-the-ball. While Wagner is undoubtedly more comfortable when he has the ball and is in control, he also showed the ability to catch and shoot (specifically in the corner), cut effectively, and make good reads for the hockey assist.

The Biggest Area of Growth: Handling the Spotlight

With that said, Peek says that Wagner’s on-court adjustments isn’t his biggest area of growth, that has taken place off the court. “DJ’s biggest growth in his game has been off the court. He is really good at talking to the media now, and that wasn’t always true,” Peek said.

“I even asked him recently about the brawl that ended his high school team’s season and he had an answer (and a great answer) about how every time you step on the court, you have to learn positives and negatives from it.”

Coming to a place like Kentucky, everything is magnetized and scrutinized, something Peek says he is prepared for. “That to me is the biggest area of growth in DJ for me. He’s going to have a lot of NIL deals and he’s much more comfortable in front of the camera,” Peek said,

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“He is going to be okay at Kentucky where everything he does will be watched and scrutinized. But I really think he’s ready for that part of his career now, too.”

Considering that Wagner has been labeled as a future star since a very young age, and that he comes from a family of NBA pedigree from his father and grandfather, has had the pressure to succeed. According to Peek, he is primed for his freshman season at Kentucky, even when he inevitably hits adversity.

Read Krysten Peek’s comments on DJ Wagner for yourself here.

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Men's Basketball

CBS Sports: Kentucky Has “ended pursuits” in Transfer Portal Following Aberdeen Commitment

In the wake of yet another addition to Kentucky’s incoming roster, CBS Sports reports that Coach Pope and staff may have closed the portal.

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Mark Pope and staff may have everything they need from the transfer portal.
Chet White | UK Athletics

Following another flurry of transfer portal additions in his second year at the helm, it appears that Mark Pope and staff are satisfied with their sophomore haul. The portal in Lexington may be officially closed for the 2025-26′ season.

Right after Kentucky received the surprising commitment of Denzel Aberdeen, Matt Norlander, an analyst for CBS Sports, posted the following on X (Twitter):

“Barring any portal defections, Kentucky has ended its pursuits of all other portal targets, sources told CBS Sports. Getting Aberdeen today [April 21] meant they’ve moved off Andrej Stojakovic, Rylan Griffen, etc. Otega Oweh going through pre-draft process-but I expect him back in Lex”.

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With the addition of Aberdeen, the Wildcats’ roster ballooned to near-max capacity for next season. Seeing two of the team’s walk-on players, Grant Darbyshire and Walker Horn, enter the transfer portal seemed to all but confirm this suspicion, too.

Losing One of Our Own

That is, until last night. With less than two hours remaining for players to do so, Travis Perry shocked much of the Big Blue Nation by throwing his name into the hat. This came just weeks after a string of comments from the Kentucky-native point guard seemed to confirm his return for a sophomore season.

Though all the same, given Kentucky’s bulk of back-court additions this offseason, his departure makes sense for the sake of playing time alone. The Lyon King will be sorely missed.

So while the Kentucky staff may still be very much content with their current roster, with hundreds of players remaining in the portal and an unexpected spot on the roster coming open, another grab is far from out of the question.

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Who Coach Pope and company would go after is entirely unclear, as that potential player would likely have to accept a minimized role off the bench for a stretch of his time in Lexington. If anything, the logical replacement would be a direct fill-in at the PG2/PG3 spot in Perry’s absence.

Either way, the ‘Cats are set to come into next season as one of the most exciting teams in college basketball with a ceiling far out of view. Mark Pope continues to prove his prowess in the transfer market, too, easing the worries of Wildcats fans and closing the door on many supposed “insiders” who’ve spent the last month suggesting otherwise.

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REPORT: Travis Perry Enters Transfer Portal

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Kentucky basketball Travis Perry talks about growing more comfortable on the court.
Jordan Prather | IMAGN

The transfer portal has been kind to Kentucky in the Mark Pope era. Last season, the staff was able to build a Sweet Sixteen roster almost exclusively from the portal, and this offseason have put together a top-five portal class.

While the portal giveth, it also taketh. Just hours before the deadline to enter, Kentucky native and fan favorite Travis Perry has entered the transfer portal, per multiple reports.

Coming to Kentucky as the state’s all-time high-school scoring record holder, fans were excited to see how his career would unfold in Lexington.

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Not expecting to play much freshman, he was called upon due to injuries and played some key minutes for the Wildcats into the postseason. He averaged 2.7 PPG and .6 APG on 32% shooting from three.

Looking at the depth chart, it was difficult to see where Perry would get much playing time next season, leading to his decision to enter the portal.

Perry has yet to release an official statement, but all the best to him in his future.

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Men's Basketball

Top Transfer Guard Denzel Aberdeen Commits to Kentucky

Former Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen commits to Kentucky, likely closing the transfer portal for next year’s roster.

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Denzel Aberdeen commits to Kentucky.
UF Athletics

Another day, another “boom.” Denzel Aberdeen has officially committed to Kentucky for the 2025-26’ season.

A soon-to-be senior guard fresh off his championship win with Florida, Aberdeen spent his first three years of eligibility in Gainesville. Now, following an apparent conflict in the Gators’ rotation, he’s swapped teams in the southeast.

At 6 ‘5”, 190, Aberdeen spent much of this past season beating defenders off the dribble and making them pay at the rim. His speed and size made him a nightmare off the bench for opposing teams, and for the short stretch of play that he started during the year, Florida didn’t miss a beat. 

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In 19 minutes, Aberdeen averaged 8 points, two rebounds and one assist per game. His consistent contribution to the Gators’ title run made him one of the most coveted transfers in the cycle this season, and given his big blue commitment just days after entering the portal, Mark Pope clearly wasted no time in Kentucky’s pursuit.

Aberdeen slots in as yet another addition to what was already one of the strongest portal classes going into next season. His SEC experience and combo-guard intangibles make Aberdeen one of the most exciting portal players to come through Lexington in a long while, reinforcing Kentucky’s back court to what may be the final degree.

Whether or not Mark Pope is officially done for next season, nobody is sure, but this commitment only further cements the fact that he knows exactly what he’s doing. Just like the  fanbase behind him, Coach Pope seems to never sleep.

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