Men's Basketball

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

Published

3 years ago

July 27, 2023

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”.

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

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”.

UK was behind in terms of their style of play.
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.

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.

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.

John Calipari was asked about shooting 30 of their 59 shots from mid-range, if that's what they wanted.

"We wanted the mid-range shots, yes… It's one of the things we do so well. We missed a bunch of them today. That's a shot we make."

Adds, "We play to get those too." pic.twitter.com/4IlvzzTvrC— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) March 2, 2023

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.

Kentucky's shot chart today, with scoring totals.

– 22/47 FGs (46.8%)
– 9/27 3P (33%)
– 10/15 FT (66.7%)
– Only 2 long two-point shots👀

– Antonio Reeves 24 pts (3-7 3P)
– Tre Mitchell 20 pts (4-6 3P)
– DJ Wagner 16 pts (2-5 3P)

Pretty promising. #BBN pic.twitter.com/Hevhb48pvz— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) July 12, 2023

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.

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.

We come to your country and we beat your team 😉 pic.twitter.com/QpJuZHrB8w— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) July 17, 2023

BB Recruiting

James Madison Transfer Justin McBride to Visit Kentucky on Tuesday

Published

19 hours ago

April 17, 2026

Tristan Pharis

Kentucky will host James Madison transfer James McBride for a visit on Tuesday, after communicating with Mark Pope and the staff via Zoom video call.

James Madison Athletics

While much of the attention in the transfer portal goes to the top targets, you need to build a full roster. Still with starting spots to be claimed, Kentucky also looking at depth pieces. The most recent, James Madison transfer Justin McBride.

After talking to the staff this week via Zoom video call, McBride is scheduled to take a visit to Lexington on Tuesday.

A three-star transfer, ranked 201st overall according to 247Sports, McBride is being recruited by multiple power conference teams including Baylor and Cal, as well as SEC foes Mississippi State and Ole Miss.

Out of high school, McBride was a four-star recruit, ranked in the top 150 nationally.

“He is a versatile player who has that IT factor about him. You can tell by the passion he plays with that there is a huge chip on his shoulder,” 247Sports asked program director Vonzell Thomas said as he evaluated McBride out of high school. “What I like about his game is his will to win. He does whatever it takes to win and not every kid has that mentality.”

From Texas, McBride committed to Oklahoma State over the likes of Kansas and Arkansas, where he played alongside former Wildcat Bandon Garrison. There, he appeared in just 24 games, averaging just over five minutes per game.

Seeking a larger role, McBride entered the transfer portal and dropped to the mid-major level, committing to Nevada. With the Wolfpack he nearly tripled both his minutes and production, averaging 7.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in just under 20 minutes per game. His most recent stop, James Madison this past season, McBride had a breakout year, averaging 15.3 points and 5.6 rebounds on 40 percent shooting from deep.

Entering his senior season, the 6-7, 240 pound McBride is eyeing a jump back to the power conference level, prioritizing fit at his next stop.

Will that be Kentucky?

McBride has good size and athleticism, and has an inside-out style of game. Meaning he can work his away around the paint, but can also space the floor with his shooting, grading fairly well as a catch and shoot guy. Overall, he ranks in the 97th percentile in scoring volume. That said, there is come consistency to be lacked on the defensive side.

BB Recruiting

Multiple Transfers Meet With Kentucky on Wednesday

Published

1 week ago

April 8, 2026

Tristan Pharis

The transfer portal is active, and Zoom stock is going up as college coaches are video chatting around the clock to build their rosters, including Kentucky.

On Wednesday, Mark Pope and the Kentucky staff added three more names to the Zoom list.

Alex Wilkins (Guard, Furman), 4⭐️, 46th-ranked transfer

Class: Sophomore
Physicals: 6-5, 175 lbs
Last season averages: 17.8 PPG, 4.7 APG, 46% FG, 32.8% 3P

An underrated prospect coming out of high school, Wilkins splashed on the scene this year at Furman. As a freshman, he led his team to the NCAA Tournament, averaging 17.8 points and 4.7 assists and earning second team All-SoCon honors.

There were few players as critical to their team’s success as Wilkins, leading the SoCon in possession usage (34.4%) and shot usage (31.7%). That does lend some explanation to his poor shooting splits and turnover concerns (3.8 turnovers per game).

A quick, wirey guard, Wilkins is a capable scorer at all three levels, and can create for his teammates. However, he needs to add some muscle for power conference competition, and needs to have more consistent effort on the defensive end.

A freshman, those are both correctable things.

Isaac Celiscar (Forward, Yale), 4⭐️, 84th-ranked transfer

Class: Junior
Physicals: 6-6, 210 lbs
Last season averages: 13.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, 57.3% FG, 40.7% 3P

Isaac Celiscar is one of the most efficient, versatile players in the transfer portal.

The first takeaway, averaging 13.2 point per game with 57.3 percent shooting, he is extremely efficient on limited opportunities. Shooting nearly 41 percent from deep, he is a threat from deep as well. That efficiency carries over to his passing, as he averages more than three assists per game, on just 1.3 turnovers per game.

Celiscar grades out as a glue-guy with great offensive skills and good feel for the game, but he does have limitations in terms of his athleticism and shot creation.

Jalen Cox (Guard, Colgate), 3⭐️ , 149th-ranked transfer

Class: Senior
Physicals: 6-3, 180 lbs
Last season averages: 17.9 PPG, 5.3 APG, 5.0 RPG, 52.1% FG, 36.5% 3P

Jalen Cox is the lowest ranked player Kentucky has reached out to, but the Wildcats need depth and Cox is a experienced guard with proven production.

Averaging 17.9 points and 5.3 assists (2.0+ assist-to-turnover ratio) per game on 52 percent shooting from the field, Cox is a versatile and efficient offensive player. He has also multiple conference All-Defense selections too, making him a two way player.

The biggest concern with Cox is his athletic ceiling and how that translates to power conference competition. However an experienced two way player is a great rotation piece.

BB Recruiting

Top Five Transfer Paulius Murauskas Moves Up Call, Talks With Kentucky on Wednesday

Published

1 week ago

April 8, 2026

Tristan Pharis

Kentucky met with Saint Mary's transfer Paulius Muruaskas, one of the top forwards in the transfer portal, on Wednesday and is looking to schedule a visit for him to come to Lexington.

Saint Mary's Athletics

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats are as busy as anyone in the transfer portal. On Wednesday, they met with their biggest fish of this transfer portal cycle so far, Paulius Murauskas.

Originally scheduled for Thursday, the Wildcats met with Murauskas via Zoom video call on Wednesday, per source.

Currently ranked 4th overall in 247Sports transfer rankings, the top-ranked forward, Murauskas is the prototypical modern basketball player. Good size at 6-foot-8, 235 pounds, with the ability to create for himself and others, has a good handle, and overall good feel for the game.

Murauskas started his collegiate career at Arizona after some professional experience in Lithuania. Playing just five minutes per game with the Wildcats as a freshman, Murauskas transferred to Saint Mary’s, where he has flourished and earned All-Conference honors the last two seasons.

This past season, Murauskas averaged 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds, on 48.2 percent shooting from the field and 33.3 percent from deep. As for his weaknesses, he is not super athletic, and he does need to be more consistent with his shot.

Originally thought to follow former Saint Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett to Arizona State, Murauskas is exploring all options. Following the Zoom, Kentucky is trying to get him on campus for a visit in the near future.