BB Recruiting
Five Wildcats Projected in 2024 NBA Mock Draft
Published
2 years agoon

The 2024 NBA Draft is just less than a year and a half away, however, teams are already planning ahead and analysts have started to release their draft projections. Last week, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony released a full two-round mock draft and it is shaping up to be a good one for the Kentucky Wildcats.
According to Givony, Kentucky has a chance to have five players drafted, including four in the first round. This would be the most draft selections for the Wildcats in one draft since 2015, when a record-tying (1977 UNLV and 2012 Kentucky) six were taken.
Here is a look at which Wildcats Giovny expects to be selected and which team they could go to.
- 4th: Justin Edwards, Houston Rockets
- 7th: DJ Wagner, Washingon Wizards
- 28th: Aaron Bradshaw, Denver Nuggets
- 30th: Robert Dillingham, Boston Celtics
- 40th: Ugonna Onyenso, Orlando Magic
This projection suggests a big night for Kentucky’s incoming freshman with four one-and-done players listed, leaving Ugonna Onyenso as the odd man out. However, he was originally a part of the 2023 recruiting class prior to his reclassification.
With that being said, it is important to note that these projections are likely to change and even more Wildcats could possibly be selected. If names such as Daimion Collins, Chris Livingston, or Jacob Toppin were to return for another season, they could play themselves into draft picks as well, especially given their physical tools.
A draft night like this could reset Kentucky as THE school in the recruiting world, especially given the recent news that Duke says they won’t recruit as many freshmen for the foreseeable future.
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Taylen Kinney, one of the top guards in the 2026 class and the No. 1 point guard in Kentucky, will take an official visit with the Wildcats beginning on June 24.
The Newport, Kentucky native has been inserted in a bit of a bidding war with Louisville and other premier schools after his official visit with the Cardinals, but of course the true recruiting powerhouse had to cast a line in hope of a bite.
KSR’s Jack Pilgrim caught a video of Kinney working with Mark Pope one-on-one on the morning of June 17 at the USA U19 Training Camp in Colorado Springs.
Mark Pope got some one-on-one time with Tay Kinney during his time in Colorado Springs
Thought to be a head-to-head battle between Kentucky and Louisville for the top-20 recruit’s commitment
Native of Newport, KY pic.twitter.com/8wEiRj3dJ8— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) June 17, 2025
A picture of Kinney, along with Malachi Moreno and Jasper Johnson, two of Kentucky’s incoming freshman on this year’s squad, came out of the camp. Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 player in the class of 2026, who already took a visit to Kentucky recently, was also shown in the picture. All four players are Kentucky natives. Taylen Kinney, Tyran Stokes, Malachi Moreno, and Jasper Johnson all participating with Team USA (U19).
Kentucky boys.
📸: lovell_martin_jr/IG pic.twitter.com/wlIZFNVvHZ— Tres Terrell (@TerrellTres) June 17, 2025
Kinney is a priority for Kentucky, and Pope planting the idea of being a Wildcat in his mind this past weekend certainly builds the hype of his commitment being a future reality.
However, we can’t act like Pat Kelsey hasn’t already beat Pope to the punch, and it may be too late to change Kinney’s mind on being a Cardinal.
“I probably talk to coach Kelsey twice a week,” Kinney said. “He talks to my parents multiple times a week. I talk to the whole staff all of the time.”
He later added on some words that no Wildcat fan would want to hear.
“They (Louisville’s staff) just told me that I was their guy,” Kinney said. “I fit perfectly into their system, and there’s no other school that I fit better into than them.
A common member of Big Blue Nation would likely think “yeah alright, wait until you get that Kentucky treatment,” and with the climate of today’s recruiting trail, who knows what can happen.
It will likely be a long time before the star guard makes an official decision, but who doesn’t like a good back-and-forth between two rival programs. The bell has already rung, and round one goes to the Cardinals, but the Wildcats are coming out swinging for round two.
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BB Recruiting
No. 1 Ranked Recruit Takes Official Visit to Kentucky
The top-ranked recruit in the nation, Tyran Stokes, took his official visit to Kentucky following a prior delay.
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Published
3 weeks agoon
June 10, 2025
Being from Louisville doesn’t necessarily make you a cardinal, and Mark Pope has set out to prove that in the biggest possible way.
The top-ranked overall recruit in next year’s class, Tyran Stokes, officially took a visit to Lexington on Sunday, June 8. This comes in lieu of many rumors that he’d canceled his visit altogether due to frustration with fans trying to dig for information online.
Last month in a cryptic post on X, Stokes said, “Why can’t y’all give a kid some privacy”. As curious as that was, especially given the proximity to his originally planned visit to Kentucky, it seems that the true issue had no bearing on his choice to hear Coach Pope’s plea.
And, as Kentucky fans now know, sometimes that’s all it takes to get a guy in blue and white.
The Louisville native, at 6’7, 230, has become widely renowned for his strong slashing ability as a multi-threat scorer on the wing. Stokes is the sort of player that, nobody who you already have on your team, you make room for him. He’s got an intangible build made for the big leagues, and he’s not even out of high school yet.
Stokes is the kind of guy that’d have NBA scouts sitting court side in Rupp Arena. While that level of national buzz isn’t always a good thing, it’s hard to underscore the possibility, and excitement, of the top recruit in the nation committing to the Cats come 2026.
In the very least, Kentucky is in the race, alongside Kansas and Louisville as heavy pursuers. It’s never too early to look ahead, and, as usual, Pope and staff are doing just that with the biggest names in the game.
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BB Recruiting
Kentucky Earns Commitment From European Big Andrija Jelavic
Published
3 months agoon
April 12, 2025
Earlier today, Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats received the commitment from Andrija Jelavic, a 6-foot-11 big from Croatia.
As first reported by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Jelavic is one of the most highly regarded European prospects that is taking his talent to the NCAA.
Soon to be 21 years old, Jelavic averaged 10.8 points per game on 60% shooting from the field to go along with 7.4 rebounds per game for Mega Superbet, the same club that NBA Champion and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic played for.
As a shock to most, who were expecting Pope’s next commit to be a guard of some sorts, international players can now sign lucrative NIL deals. Kentucky, along with several of the elite colleges, are now in the European market.
Jelavic, with shades of current European big men, can do just about everything on the court. He can shoot, dribble, pass, finish at the rim, etc. With a very relevant comparison, Jelavic plays almost perfectly in the replacement role of Andrew Carr.
His commitment now makes him the fifth member of Pope’s additions this offseason, joining Kam Williams, Jaland Lowe, Mouhamed Dioubate and Jayden Quaintance.
With a 7’2” wingspan, joining an already impressive Kentucky frontcourt, it’s safe to say for certain that this new team will not lack in that department.
Next year’s roster was loaded with talent already, but now with the addition of Jelavic, lots of questions are arising: Who will start? How many more players is Pope going to add? What will happen with the walk-ons?
There’s plenty to think about for Pope and his staff before the season starts, but like he said back when he introduced himself to Big Blue Nation, “We’re here to win banners.” He’s going to make the moves he thinks will do just that for the Wildcats.
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