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Transfer Portal Target “Willing To Do Whatever” To Help Kentucky Win A Title

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There is mutual interest between Kentucky and transfer guard BJ Freeman, who says "will do whatever" to help Kentucky win another title.
MARK HOFFMAN/USA TODAY NETWORK

It’s transfer portal season and now that the season is over and players begin to make their decisions, the Kentucky staff is starting to evaluate some players in the transfer portal and reach out to them. The player Kentucky has reached out to most recently is BJ Freeman, a 6-6 guard for the Milwaukee Panthers.

It’s safe to say the interest is mutual.

“Kentucky is a historic program. You can’t play for anyone better than Coach Cal,” Freeman said recently in an interview with Kentucky Sports Radio. “Pro-wise, guard-wise, the success he’s had, it doesn’t get any better than that. I feel like my game can carry on and play his play style. If I love it there and we continue this process, maybe I could be one of the next Kentucky greats and Kentucky pros.”

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Known for his scoring, averaging 21.1 points per game last season, 16th in the nation, Freeman wants it to be known that he is doing whatever it takes to help Kentucky win.

“People underestimate my passing because they see me score the ball so well,” he said. “Being able to get my teammates involved and seeing my teammates score the ball gives me more joy than having myself score. That’s a big thing that I want to show coaches. I’m really versatile. I can also initiate the offense. I’m willing to do whatever to win and put another banner up there at Kentucky.

While Kentucky has contacted Freeman, no details of a visit have been set. He expects that to change over the next few days as he communicates with Kentucky assistant Chuck Martin.

“We should continue to talk today; we’re going to keep building the relationship and see if I can come down there and take a visit,” he said. “We’re just going to stay in touch, keep communicating to make the process go a little bit faster, and keep things going. It’s really about building a relationship.”

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While Kentucky sounds to be in a really good spot for Freeman, Arkansas is also pursuing his services. However, there have been rumors that Eric Musselman wants out of Arkansas and is showing interest in other jobs, which could change things. That said, what is Freeman looking for in a school?

“I’m big on family vibes and brotherhood. That’s exactly what Kentucky is based on,” he said. “I love everybody. I love bringing joy and putting smiles on people’s faces. I’m looking for a program that’s going to embrace me, a fanbase that’s going to embrace me through my ups and downs. I want them to still believe in me through down moments too.”

Freeman is not on any NBA Draft Boards and after talking to his mother, has decided he will not go through the draft process. Instead, he wants to make his decision on where he will play his last season of college basketball in about “three weeks”.

“I’m more than willing to contribute and be one of those key factors to bring another championship to the state of Kentucky. I want the state to be happy for me and proud of me. That’s my big goal with them. You guys are going to embrace me. You guys are going to love me and I can’t wait to get the process going. [I’m going to] come visit the campus and see what it’s all about.”

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Freeman’s comments come off very eager. If Kentucky truly wants Freeman, it sounds like they are the favorite.

BB Recruiting

Kentucky Receives First Transfer Commitment From Top 25 Prospect, “Not Many People Get Opportunities Like This”

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Kentucky transfer Kam Williams prepares to shoot.

While all the attention is on Kentucky’s matchup with Tennessee in the Sweet Sixteen, the transfer portal officially opened on Monday and the staff has been hard at work.

Already tossing a wide net, reaching out to nearly a dozen guys in the past few days, the Cats have reeled in their first commitment from Top 25 ranked (247Sports), four-star transfer Kam Williams from Tulane.

With a 6-8, 190-pound frame, Williams has good size. What caught the staff’s eye is his ELITE shooting ability, shooting better than 41 percent this past season and that includes 17 threes made beyond 25 feet. He excels best in catch-and-shoot situations, where he ranks in the 94th percentile.

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Williams received interest from many schools in addition to Kentucky, such as Florida, Louisville, and St. John’s among others. Why did Williams commit to Kentucky so quickly?

“Not many people get opportunities like this, so I wanted to pull the trigger fast,” Williams told ESPN. “More people are waiting to fill that spot, so I had to take advantage.”

“My dream is to play in the NBA. Kentucky’s culture and background shows that they care about their players, especially developing them into the best players they can be.”

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Kentucky Named a Finalist for Five Star, Top 5 NBA Prospect Nate Ament

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2025 top five prospect Nate Ament on his visit to Kentucky.
UK Athletics

Mark Pope has received three top-35 commitments in his first high school recruiting class, including two high 4-star commits in Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno.

However, his first top-10 prospect still eludes him after missing out on Caleb Wilson last month… at least for now.

Over the last few weeks, Pope and his staff have focused heavily on top-five prospect Nate Ament.

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Ament, the second-ranked power forward in the 2025 class, cut his list down to five schools earlier this week: Duke, Louisville, Tennessee, Arkansas, and the Kentucky Wildcats.

The 6-foot-9 prospect has visited each of them except Arkansas over the last five months, with a decision expected in the next month or so. Where does each program stand?

According to Joe Tipton of On3, Louisville and Duke have “positioned themselves” the best in this recruitment, giving Pat Kesley and the Cardinals a slight lead. However, there is still time, and one thing that could shake things up the most is NIL, reported to be one of Ament’s biggest priorities.

Elsewhere at On3, Jamie Shaw did his own update, where he said this could be down to a Kentucky vs. Louisville battle.

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“Speaking with sources at this point in time it does sound like there is a split room around Nate Ament with Duke, Louisville, and Kentucky. With the intel I am currently getting, I would not be surprised to see this ultimately come down to a Kentucky and Louisville battle,” Shaw wrote, later adding that a decision could come in the next few weeks.

Ament is fresh off a visit to Kentucky, where he saw Rupp Arena at its best as the Wildcats completed the season sweep of Tennessee. That being his most recent visit, along with Pope visiting for Ament’s Senior night, the hope is it made a lasting impact, but will it be enough?

Time will tell, but the Cats are a legitimate contender to land Ament.

Be sure to read Shaw’s update here.

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Also posted on A Sea of Blue.

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BB Recruiting

Kentucky Hosting Top Five Recruit Nate Ament

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Top five prospect Nate Ament will be visiting Kentucky in Rupp Arena as they take on Tennessee.
USA Basketball

After missing out on Caleb Wilson, Kentucky has shifted focus to its last remaining prospect, Nate Ament. The 6-foot-9 small forward prospect out of Warrenton, Virginia, is now the Wildcats’ last remaining prospect in the high school ranks for the 2025 class.

Ament has set up a visit to Kentucky, which was first reported by On3’s Joe Tipton. He will be in attendance when Tennessee travels to Rupp Arena on February 11th, with both the Wildcats and the Volunteers in the mix within the recruitment.

It is important to note that Kentucky is behind in this recruitment as they prioritized Caleb Wilson over Ament which did not pay off in the end. Ament has already visited Duke, Tennessee, Louisville, Texas, and Notre Dame. He is currently down to 11 schools including the Cats.

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Duke has been considered the longtime favorite in the recruitment but Mark Pope and company will have the chance to sell themselves before Ament decides to commit to another school.

Mark Pope even recruited Ament during his visit to Tennessee, where Kentucky pulled the upset on the road. As the team was celebrating coming off the floor, Pope passed Ament saying “Let’s go, Nate,” and “C’mon, Nate.”

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