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Matt Jones Shares Positive Kentucky Basketball Update, There is a “New Energy”

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Reed Sheppard and Antonio Reeves celebrating Kentucky's gold medal win at GLOBL JAM
UK Athletics

Like many fans in recent years, Matt Jones and Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) have been critical of John Calipari and the Kentucky men’s basketball program. Considering that Kentucky has only won just one NCAA Tournament game in the last three seasons, the results do warrant criticism.

Jones has never shied away from expressing exactly how he feels regarding the Cats, during the good times and the bad times too. On July 26th’s edition of KSR, Matt Jones revisited what he calls “The State of UK Basketball Conversation”.

In early June, he talked about how Kentucky basketball was in “disarray”.

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Originally, Jones had three primary reasons for why UK basketball was in bad shape:

  1. A lot of people within the program had “taken things for granted and maybe weren’t doing a lot of the work that needed to happen”.
  2. UK was behind in terms of their style of play.
  3. John Calipari “ruined, or at least let go stale” relationships, which hurt the program.

Amidst the positive momentum following GLOBL JAM, Jones’ tone has flipped, and he says there is a “new energy” within the program, giving some credit to the incoming freshmen.

“I think a lot of these freshmen have great mentalities and sort of have excited even the older guys and some of that fun,” Jones said. “That has been so characteristic of Cal’s program for so many years. It’s kind of back and there’s a new energy.”

“I’ve been told they’ve kind of turned around that there’s a new energy in that building, built in part by the new coaches, but in part by the new players who have come in with a lot of energy, and a lot of those things are better now.”

That “new energy” has included subsequent offseason changes, which are already making a difference.

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NIL Wake Up Call

One of the more significant changes is with NIL. After missing out on two transfers they had prioritized, multiple players to the second round of the NBA Draft (or even undrafted), and potentially Antonio Reeves to the transfer portal, John Calipari was hit with a reality check.

Calipari has often told players, “Don’t be tripping over nickels on the way to the NBA.” While that philosophy works for top recruits with the potential to make $10+ million annually in the NBA, it has not proven to be as effective on players below that.

To change that, Calipari launched “The La Familia Club” which others have called a “non collective, collective”.

Starting to be organized back in January, The La Familia Club is an annual investment from former players and boosters, to provide a way to pay student-athletes beyond traditional marketing avenues. It is estimated to raise more than double any other program’s collective.

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Jones credits La Familia for the return of Antonio Reeves and the landing of Tre Mitchell from the transfer portal, which based on their play at GLOBL JAM, will prove valuable this season.

Taking an Approach to Modern Basketball

Alongside the criticism of Kentucky’s postseason results, has been the criticism of John Calipari’s offense, specifically the lack of spacing and shot selection.

If you look at a shot chart in the NBA, 90 percent of a team’s shots will be taken in the paint or from three. That is due to analytics proving those are the two best shots on the floor.

That has not been the case for Kentucky, as they have been amongst the top in mid-range jumpers taken. Last season, Calipari even went as far as saying that the mid-range shot is one they play to get, following a game where more than half of Kentucky’s shots were from mid-range.

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Summer practice reports have revealed that Calipari has somewhat gone away from that philosophy and even wanting to “eliminate long twos”. During the Wildcats’ trip to Canada for GLOBL JAM, that was evident.

In Kentucky’s first outing against Team Germany, the Wildcats shot just two long two-point shots, and just 8 of the Wildcats’ 74 total shots were mid-range jumpers. Looking at the shot chart, there was a clear focus on shots at the rim or from three.

Jones cites the hirings of John Welch and Chuck Martin as potential catalysts for this. While that could be the case, Calipari also has a roster that can play this style for the first time in a while.

Even Calipari himself said he wants this year’s team to shoot “27 threes a game”. Clearly, Calipari has had a shift in his basketball philosophy.

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Time will tell how these changes will help the program make a deep run, but there is a lot of positive momentum in Kentucky’s favor. Just look at this tweet (aka “X” now). John Calipari wearing shades, the team hanging out at Drake’s house, the caption.

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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