Men's Basketball

KY Insider’s Notes/Observations from Kentucky MBB Pro Day

Published

2 years ago

October 12, 2023

John Calipari standing on the Rupp Arena floor during Kentucky Basketball Pro Day.

UK Athletics | Elliott Hess

Basketball season is upon us, folks. With Big Blue Madness right around the corner on Friday night, 52 scouts from all 30 NBA teams made their way to Lexington to get an exclusive look at the 2023-24 Kentucky Wildcats. Among the scouts in attendance was Kentucky Insider, and we’ll give you an inside look at the Cats as they participate in Pro Day.

To start things up, John Calipari made sure to mention that there would be “no combine stuff” at Pro Day. That means no vertical jumps, measurements, or anything of the sort. Pro Day consisted of some shooting drills and then some 4-on-4 play. Here are the biggest takeaways from Wednesday night’s event:

Jordan Burks’ Athleticism and Inside Scoring

When the warmups came to a close and the real festivities began, Jordan Burks was the one who (arguably) shined the brightest in the 4v4 scrimmages. It seemed like Burks’ inside presence was overwhelming at times. There were multiple occasions on offense where Burks would fly high for an alley-oop finish or a dunk. It was really nice to see him finding his groove and asserting himself on the floor.

Reed Sheppard is a Sharpshooter

Perhaps one of the more underrated guys on this team is Reed Sheppard out of North Laurel High School. At Pro Day, Sheppard showed off some of his shooting ability. Sheppard was often seen making cuts and moving without the ball to free himself up. Ultimately, this led to a lot of open three-pointers that found the bottom of the net. Like his dad was, Sheppard is a huge threat from the perimeter, and Calipari has certainly given him the green light to pull the trigger.

Rob Dillingham Looking Better All-Around

One of the names that has been receiving the most praise at practices is Rob Dillingham, and he showed why that’s the case on Wednesday night. Dillingham has seemed to improve in every aspect of the game since his time at Overtime Elite (OTE). He has completely transformed physically, as he is much stronger and faster even from July during GLOBL JAM. His on-ball defense has also taken a huge leap. He caused a good amount of disruption, no matter who he was matched up against.

Ugonna Onyenso/Aaron Bradshaw Injury Update

One thing that scouts and others watching didn’t get to see at Pro Day were the big men of the team. Zvonimir Ivisic arrived on campus Thursday, and Ugonna Onyenso and Aaron Bradshaw were held out of Wednesday’s activities due to injury. John Calipari said that the injured bigs will be out for “another 5-6 weeks” on the ESPN broadcast. That timetable would set both players to return around the Champions Classic against Kansas on November 14th or the ACC/SEC Challenge against Miami on November 28th.

Adou Thiero Suffers Apparent Ankle Injury

To add to the big men health issues, Adou Thiero is also on the list of injured Cats now. Thiero was on pace for a big night, putting his physicality and shot-making ability on display early. He was among the top performers during his brief stint on the court. However, after a bang-bang play down low, Thiero went down with what seemed to be a rolled ankle that occurred when he came back down. He would be escorted to the locker room and he was held out of the remainder of the Pro Day drills.

Pro Day was not only a fun spectacle, but it also gave us another early-access look on this year’s squad. There were a lot of positives to take away from the event, but there were some negatives as well. Now, we can turn our attention to Big Blue Madness. Before we know it, it’ll be time to finally tip off again on October 27th against Georgetown in an exhibition game.

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.

Published

2 days ago

April 23, 2025

Lane Mills

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”.

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.

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.

Men's Basketball

REPORT: Travis Perry Enters Transfer Portal

Published

3 days ago

April 22, 2025

Tristan Pharis

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.

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.

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.

Published

3 days ago

April 22, 2025

Lane Mills

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.

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.