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Important Decision Dates and Deadlines for Kentucky’s Basketball Roster

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© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Another college basketball offseason is upon us, which means several Kentucky Wildcats have decisions to make in regard to their future. A few of those decisions have already been announced, including: Sahvir Wheeler (transfer), Jacob Toppin (NBA Draft), Cason Wallace (NBA Draft), Antonio Reeves (test NBA Draft waters), and Ugonna Onyenso (transfer).

With that being said, there are still more decisions to be made headlined by Oscar Tshiebwe, Chris Livingston, Daimion Collins, and CJ Fredrick. These decisions may take some time, so let’s take a look at the important dates and deadlines to remember coming to this off-season.

April

Now-April 13th: Evaluation Requests

Players can enter the draft while requesting an evaluation and wanting to get feedback on where they can get drafted. Then once they receive the feedback they would decide on whether or not to keep their name in the draft.

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April 23rd: Early NBA Draft Entry Deadline

This is the early entry deadline for the NBA draft. Most Kentucky players would’ve already made their decision and announcement by this time on whether they will test the waters or have already decided to come back.

May

May 11th: Transfer Portal Deadline

By this date, players must have notified their schools of their decision to transfer as the portal officially closes for fall and winter sports. We would know which Kentucky players are going to try elsewhere in college basketball.

May 11th-14th: G-League Elite Camp

This is the time for the G-League elite camp which takes 40 players after the first 70 or so will get invited to the NBA combine. This will be a very good indicator for players who are testing the waters and getting their feedback.

May 14th-21st: NBA Draft Combine

This is when the NBA Draft combine will take place, giving some Kentucky players chances to play themselves into a higher stock. This would be a huge opportunity for players such as Chris Livingston, Oscar Tshiebwe, and Jacob Toppin if they decide to enter the draft process.

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May 16th: NBA Draft Lottery

The NBA draft lottery takes place which only pertains to Cason Wallace with the chance to see what team could select him in the first 14 picks.

May 31st: NCAA Deadline to Maintain College Eligibility

Players must take their name out of the NBA draft by this date if they wish to return to school and retain the college eligibility they have remaining.

June

June 12th: NBA Draft Withdrawl Deadline

This is the NBA Early entry draft withdrawal deadline where a player must take their name out of the draft if they want to maintain the college eligibility they have remaining

June 22nd: NBA Draft

The NBA draft takes place, where Jacob Toppin and Cason Wallace will look to have their names called, with the latter likely being Kentucky’s next lottery pick. It is to be determined if anyone else will join them.

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Men's Basketball

Otega Oweh Declares for NBA Draft, Maintains College Eligibility

Arguably the centerpiece of last year’s team, Otega Oweh has declared for the NBA Draft… but that doesn’t mean he’s officially gone.

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Otega Oweh declares for the NBA Draft whilst maintaining his college eligibility.
Chet White | UK Athletics

Few players have taken the Big Blue Nation by storm like Otega Oweh did with his arrival this past season. A lot was new in Lexington last year, but #00 stuck out for a number of reasons; namely, his infectious energy on the court and the high odds that he was going to put an opponent on a poster on any given night.

Now, Oweh has declared for the NBA Draft. He made the announcement on social media, calling Kentucky fans the “best fans in the world.”

While this may seem dire for folks keeping tabs on next year’s roster, that last line in Oweh’s announcement is crucial: “…while maintaining my NCAA eligibility.” Essentially, Otega’s time in Lexington is far from over, at least for the time being.

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Whether or not “Tegatron” returns to Rupp will likely depend on what he hears during the draft process, and where exactly he wants to land. In the modern college basketball landscape, it’s become common practice for players to “test the waters” in the draft, just to get an idea as to where they stand with the league, before returning to college for another year of development.

Take, for example, Jaxson Robinson just last season. Before his eventual transfer to Kentucky, Robinson declared for the draft out of BYU, maintaining his eligibility, before pulling from the process in order to spend his senior year at Kentucky. It happens all the time.

While that doesn’t necessarily set Oweh’s return in stone, it at least gives the Big Blue Nation to take a breather and keep calm, as his departure is far from official. Either way, #00 is a Lexington legend whose first go-around in Kentucky blue was as memorable as anyone’s could be. The “Oweh, Oweh, Oweh” chants will go on regardless.

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Men's Basketball

Four Star Forward Visiting Kentucky Amidst Recruitment Rumors

Mark Pope is looking to close out a strong sophomore effort in the transfer portal, and this freshman guard may be the final piece.

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Four star guard Braydon Hawthorne is on a visit to Kentucky.
Braydon Hawthorne | WVU Athletics

As the transfer portal trucks on (and the NCAA races to find ways to regulate it), Mark Pope is looking to tie a bow on his already highly-ranked 2025-26′ roster. The latest potential addition becomes in the form of a freshman who, after pulling his commitment from West Virginia, will be on an official visit to Kentucky today, Wednesday, April 16.

Braydon Hawthorne, the 6’8″ forward at hand, is a lengthy, scoring wing with high upside on the offensive end. His 7’3″ wingspan opens opportunities for development on the defensive end, too – he’s an investment opportunity of the highest order. On3 currently has him at 48th on their ranking of 2025 recruits.

In addition to Kentucky and West Virginia (where Hawthorne is from), schools such as Virginia Tech, Arizona State, Marquette, Dayton, Old Dominion, Mount St. Mary’s, and more have thrown their hats into the ring, although the general consensus seems to be that Kentucky has the strongest pull/interest in the prospect for the time being.

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Whether or not that actually means he’ll be in blue and white is unfortunately unsure – as that’s how the transfer portal operates – but an in-person visit is a good indicator of mutual interest. Plus, with Kentucky “losing out” on Lamar Wilkerson, who committed to Indiana, a scoring spot in the back court remains open… and Hawthorne is a compelling candidate to fill it.

While Wildcats fans wait patiently for a potential commitment, all eyes are on Coach Cody Fueger’s X account for a trademark “boom” post.

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Men's Basketball

Brandon Garrison Announces Return To Kentucky For The 2025-26 Season

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Chet White | UK Athletics

Brandon Garrison isn’t going anywhere. 

The 6-foot-10 forward will be returning to the Kentucky Wildcats for his junior season in the 2025-26 campaign. 

Garrison took to social media first, posting a story on his personal Instagram that showed a simple graphic reading the words “I’m back.”

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Speculation and rumors have swirled around the Oklahoma native all offseason, and with the addition of Andrija Jelavic, Big Blue Nation worried that Garrison would be hitting the portal sooner than later. 

Now, with his returning announcement public, Garrison will look to assert himself in the offseason as a dominant force that deserves the starting role.

Last season, he backed up Amari Williams, coming off of the bench and averaging 5.9 points per game and 3.9 rebounds per game in just 17.3 minutes a night. 

It’s unclear if he’s guaranteed anything in regards to a starting spot. However, having played a year already in Mark Pope’s system, Garrison may get a nod for the role over one of the transfer pickups. 

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Pope and the coaching staff have been publicly confident in the development of “BG” and see him as a vocal leader on and off the court. 

With a full offseason ahead where he’ll be harnessing his skill set and bettering his game in any way possible, Kentucky fans will be glad that Garrison chose to stick around another year. 

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