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John Calipari Addresses Roster Uncertainty, Adds He Is “Blessed” to Be at Kentucky

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© Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The college basketball offseason is here and that inherently comes with a lot of uncertainty for John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats, potentially even more so this year. Of course, Jacob Toppin and Cason Wallace have announced they will be entering the NBA Draft, but there are several players yet to announce their decisions.

Calipari is bringing in a talented group of freshmen, but until the aforementioned decisions are made, he is not able to effectively recruit to recruit the transfer portal. He even said this at the Final Four this past weekend.

“I have not done much in the portal this year. I know our name is out there, but I’m still trying to figure out what my team looks like,” Calipari said.

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“Cason (Wallace) and Jacob (Toppin) are definitely in the draft, staying. Oscar (Tshiebwe) will be putting his name in the draft, maybe staying (in). Chris (Livingston) — well, we’ve got a lot of guys that will probably put their name in, so I’ve got to weave through that first to figure out who we have coming back.”

Interestingly, one of the names he did not mention in his comments is Antonio Reeves. On Tuesday, Reeves announced his intentions to test the draft waters, but left open the option to return to Kentucky.

In the end, I do expect Reeves to return to Kentucky for another season. His shooting and experience would be a welcome addition to a group of talented freshmen, that have questions surrounding their shooting abilities. However, Reeves is 22 years old, and if given a contract from an NBA team that meets or succeeds the six-figure NIL figure (i.e. two-way contract) that he earned at Kentucky last season, he would likely make that jump.

Another decision that should come soon is Oscar Tshiebwe’s, who will almost certainly decide to enter the NBA Draft. However, it could be some time before any decisions are made by CJ Fredrick or Chris Livingston.

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With that said, Kentucky can’t afford to be ‘caught with their paints down’, and must recruit from the portal assuming that those players are gone.

Calipari’s admitted lack of activity in the transfer portal has drawn some criticism, something he is far from foreign to as the head coach of Kentucky.

“When you go through some seasons at a Kentucky, the thing I’ve got to tell you is, if I’m ever feeling sorry for myself — what? I’ve been blessed to be able to coach at Kentucky, even in the bad times,” Calipari said. “I know other guys say, ‘I want to coach at Kentucky, I don’t care,’ so I am blessed to be able to do what I’m doing.”

Calipari went into detail about the blessing the Kentucky job is, allowing him to help young men and their families.

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“The reason is Kentucky is a stage I can really help kids compete for national titles. You can really help kids. Our kids in the NBA, what they’ve been able to do with their lives, they’ve made over $3 billion.”

There have been few that have understood what it means to be the coach of Kentucky off-the-court, but after three seasons of subpar postseason results, patience is wearing thin.

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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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Men's Basketball

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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