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Lance Ware Cites Love for Kentucky as Reason Not Transfer

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UK Athletics

Coming in as a four-star freshman for the Kentucky Wildcats in 2020-21, Lance Ware played behind five-star freshman Isaiah Jackson, and impact transfers Jacob Toppin and Olivier Sarr. However, he started three games and averaged just over 12 minutes per game but was relatively inefficient.

Last season, Ware’s role was reduced even more as Oscar Tshiebwe demanded almost 32 minutes per game in his Player of the Year campaign. However, in nearly half the minutes he played than he played the previous season he was much more efficient in his limited time. Take a look:

2020-21 (254 total minutes, 12.1 mpg): 41 total points, 62 total rebounds, 40.6% FG
2021-22 (177 total minutes, 6.3 mpg): 42 total points, 53 total rebounds, 66.7% FG

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Despite limited playing time, Ware carved out a role for himself, bringing toughness and energy off the bench, but he finds it funny when people think he wants to fight.

Ware told Kyle Tucker of The Athletic, “I’m not going to fight you right here in the middle of the court. If I really wanted to fight you, we could just go in the back and fight. If I wanted to fight in front of a crowd, I’d go be a boxer.”

Going into his junior year and with a very talented and deep Kentucky frontcourt, Ware’s opportunity for playing time does not look any better.

You have Oscar Tshiebwe, the returning National Player of the Year; Damion Collins and Jacob Toppin, two freak athletes who look to have made big improvements; Ugonna Kingsley, a last-minute four-star reclassification; and then Lance Ware.

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Ware could play a much more significant role or even start at another school, so why not follow the route of hundreds of other players and transfer?

He was asked just that by Tucker.

“People always ask me that. ‘Why not leave, go play somewhere I can get more minutes?’ Because I love Kentucky. I love the fans. I love the way coach Cal does things. I just want to stay and get better and see what I can get out of the experience of challenging myself. Because that’s just life. Forget basketball. That’s life in the real world. Not everybody can be the star. Not everybody gets to go out and score 30. But I still have a role on this team that I believe is very important.”

Ware’s comment shows just how self-aware he is. Rather than be a four-star recruit who could be a major contributor for a mid-major, he has created a key role for himself and become a fan favorite at a blue-blood school that he loves.

Just because he may play a smaller role, don’t let that fool you. Tshiebwe told Tucker that he can tell that Ware has improved. “He’s always attacking you,” Tshiebwe said.

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Also published on A Sea of Blue.

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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