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Aaron Bradshaw and His Off-Court Development, “He’s Taking Responsibility”

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A playful character off the court, Aaron Bradshaw has become one of Kentucky's most mature players.
Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Coming to Kentucky as a former No. 1 recruit is a lot of pressure, expected to be a star freshman and ultimately a one-and-done player going to the NBA. That pressure can be made worse when those expectations aren’t met, which could allow for some resentment and selfishness.

Not for Aaron Bradshaw.

Once ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the 2023 class, Bradshaw came to Kentucky with those same expectations. A playful character off the court, Bradshaw has grown to be one of the most mature players on this Kentucky team, despite things not going to plan.

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First, he suffered an offseason foot injury that sidelined him for six months, including missing GLOBL Jam in the summer and the first month of the regular season. Amidst that, had to endure unfair rumors about if he would ever play for Kentucky. Rumors he showed frustration toward and called “BS” at Kentucky media day.

Upon returning to the court in December, Bradshaw put up a double-double in just his second game, then followed it up with some game-winning plays over North Carolina. It looked as if he was going to live up to that ranking. Then came the struggles, in large part due to the physicality of the SEC.

After averaging 21 minutes in his first eleven games, he has averaged just 10 minutes in the eleven games since. That includes playing single-digit minutes in four of the last five games and looks to be the third big man in Kentucky’s rotation.

His decreasing playing time has coincided with his dropping draft stock. Before the season he projected as a top-10 pick. In December/January, a first-round pick. Now, Bradshaw is not listed on nearly any draft board.

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Bradshaw has reason to be upset, but if you look on the bench you will struggle to find anyone happier. Cheering for his teammate’s success and the team’s success.

Elliott Hess | UK Athletics

Just look at this photo. A jubilant smile on Bradshaw’s face as Kentucky beat a Top 15 Auburn team on the road, as double-digit underdogs. By his expression, you wouldn’t know that he had only played three minutes, his lowest minute total of the season.

This started back in the offseason. Unable to play improve on the court, Bradshaw examined for ways to improve off the court. “My main focus is becoming a better teammate,” he told me at Kentucky media day. “It’s not going to be every day I am going to step on the court and play the whole time. There are times I am going to be on the bench.”

A “great teammate” he has been, throughout interviews this season, nearly every player, unprompted has attributed such to Bradshaw. That joy and encouragement toward his teammates even holds for the two players he battles against for playing time, Zvonimir Ivisic and Ugonna Onyenso, who also may be his two closest friends on the team. “The Seven Footers” they call themselves.

“If they’re playing better than me, it’s not their fault, it’s my fault,” Bradshaw said. “Him or Ugo playing better than me, it’s not a bad thing. That’s selfish. If they got it going, they got it going… We all love each other.”

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That love has helped each of them lean on one another and overcome hardships this season. Bradshaw and Onyenso with injuries, and Ivisic with his eligibility case. “Aaron is my guy. We’re together every day, on/off the court,” Ivisic said. “He’s helped me a lot. School, practices. Everything that I needed him for, he’s been there for me. He’s my guy, my brother.”

Through the challenges, Bradshaw has also trusted his Hall of Fame coach, John Calipari, who he says is the reason he came to Kentucky.

“Coach Cal really knows what he is doing. He’s doing it on purpose,” Bradshaw said. “I was never a person on the bench. Now that I am, I gotta figure out other ways to impact the game.”

Against Arkansas, Bradshaw found ways to impact the game and he played his best game of 2024, putting up 15 points and 5 rebounds, in just 12 minutes. Calipari, who has since been told of Bradshaw’s comments, applauds his attitude. “Instead of blaming or doing any of that, he’s taking responsibility and he’s playing better.”

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For Bradshaw, he has not had the on-court production he hoped for, but it hasn’t stopped him from getting better. Becoming a better man, teammate, and friend off the court.

Men's Basketball

Former Kentucky Guard Travis Perry Commits to Ole Miss

Kentucky native and fan-favorite guard Travis Perry has committed to Ole Miss following his surprising entry into the transfer portal.

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Travis Perry has committed to Ole Miss.
Chet White | UK Athletics

Travis Perry, a “hometown hero” for Kentucky fans, as well as the only player who remained on the roster during the transition between the John Calipari and Mark Pope tenures, has officially committed to Ole Miss.

Perry’s surprising entry into the transfer portal came just before the final hour of eligibility, throwing his name in the hat right before the door closed. Despite his fairly active role in the Wildcats’ rotation last season, with the influx of guards incoming on next year’s roster, his departure is sensible from a playing time perspective. Though the loss is still an unfortunate one, as the Big Blue Nation loves their Kentucky kids.

Ole Miss was involved in Perry’s recruitment before his initial commitment to Kentucky prior to last season, gracing his “final five” list as a team with a real chance to land the Lyon County guard. It’s apparent that, the second time around, Rebels’ coach Chris Beard wasn’t ready to lose out on him again.

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“Addicted to Basketball”

Just over one month ago, during March Madness, Beard reflected on his first chase for Travis Perry, saying, “I love Travis. He’s one of those guys that’s addicted to basketball.”

“I enjoyed recruiting him, getting a relationship with his family,” Beard continued. “In recruiting, you don’t get so many more guys than you do get… But I was really happy for him that he found a great fit and played a great role as a freshman for Coach Pope’s team.”

Not even one month later, Perry would enter the transfer portal, and now the rest is history. Now, ‘Cats fans can look forward to a rendezvous with their former point guard in Rupp Arena this season, as Perry and the Rebels are set to make the trip to Lexington during conference play.

When it comes to the portal, you win some, you lose some, and you make sacrifices along the way. Perry’s loss is a harrowing reminder of what college basketball has become, as well as the shifting importance of what it means to a player to “stay home.”

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Set to Face Purdue in Exhibition Game at Rupp Arena

In another stout addition to Kentucky’s schedule, the Wildcats and Mark Pope will face Matt Painter and Purdue in an October exhibition game.

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Mark Pope and Kentucky will face Purdue in October.
Anastasia Panaretos | UK Athletics

Kentucky’s non-conference schedule just keeps getting stronger, with the latest addition coming in the form of an exhibition game at Rupp Arena.

It has been officially announced that, on Friday, October 24, Matt Painter and the Purdue Boilermakers will travel to Lexington to take on Mark Pope and the ‘Cats in a preseason bout unlike any other.

Kentucky has spent the majority of recent memory spinning wheels in exhibition games against unranked, mid-major programs. Rupp Arena fills up either way, sure, but the prospect of a potential top 10 team taking one of those spots brings a whole different kind of excitement to the scene.

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High Class Competition

The Boilermakers have cemented themselves as one of the greatest, most consistent powers in college basketball, making the national title game as recently as two years ago against the UConn Huskies. Despite their shortcomings in that battle, the program that Matt Painter has built in the B10 is nothing short of a powerhouse. They won their conference tournament as recently as 2023.

In addition, Purdue’s incoming class is as strong as any, coming in at #1 nationally on FOX Sports’ early top 25 rankings list. Their retaining star guard Braden Smith has much to do with that placement, no doubt. For comparison, Kentucky slots in at #8 on the list; one place below Louisville, and one above Duke.

Regardless of the exhibition, “it don’t count” nature of the game, amping up the competition before the season officially begins will benefit both squads in the long run, giving them a chance to hone their skills against another ranked, highly-touted team.

First it was the St. Johns game, and now Purdue, who join one of the most difficult growing non-conference schedules in the nation. Mark Pope and the Wildcats will have their work cut out for them, though it’s clear he wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Men's Basketball

Mark Pope is “Scouring the Planet” For Final Additions to Kentucky’s Roster

In his appearance on Jon Rothstein’s podcast, Mark Pope confirmed that he isn’t done with Kentucky’s 2025-26 roster just yet.

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Mark Pope is working to round out Kentucky's incoming roster.
Chet White | UK Athletics

Despite already stringing together one of the nation’s most impressive rosters for the 2025-26 college basketball season in Kentucky’s current 12-man roster, Mark Pope hasn’t hopped off the recruiting trail just yet.

During his appearance on CBS’ Jon Rothstein’s podcast, Pope said that he wants to “round out” the current roster with an initial addition, saying, “I have 12 guys right now… we’re actually going to try and round out this roster.”

“I’m actually scouring the planet right now,” he said. “… for guys that would fit in as maybe a redshirt guy that would kill it in practice, or maybe a last year of your career guy that wants to come here and put on this one-of-one jersey and be a part of this.”

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“We need to add a couple more pieces but right now we have our roster that’s going to own the minutes on this floor.”

Finding Fits

So while it seems that the current, core 12 players will share the majority of Kentucky’s minutes next season, Coach Pope is still keen on finding productive ways to fill out the rest of the available roster spots.

This is a smart move for many reasons, though first and foremost may be Kentucky’s recent history with injuries, specifically this past season. Pope and staff had to dig deep into their reserves during his first year at the helm, resulting in midseason rotational hiccups and many “what-if” endings that may have gone differently had Kentucky been healthy, or, perhaps, had more options on the bench.

And while the entire segment is interesting enough, Pope specifically noting a “couple more pieces” opens the possibility of more than one ‘Cat making their way to Rupp before the upcoming season tips off. Just days ago, that idea seemed completely out of the question.

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Where it’ll go from here is uncertain, but the Big Blue Nation can rest assured that Coach Pope and company are hard at work on the recruiting trail, proved by their sharp roster construction up to this point. If the team has a perceived hole, it will be filled in one way or another.

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