Kentucky added a major piece to its frontcourt.

Ousmane N’Diaye, a prospect with three years of professional experience in some of the top leagues in Europe, has signed with the Kentucky Wildcats for a two-year deal, per source, with the second year having a buyout option.

At 6-foot-11, N’Diaye is a mobile big man with perimeter skill, bringing a modern skillset to Kentucky. He is comfortable stepping out and knocking down perimeter shots while also possessing the length and athleticism to make an impact defensively.

N’Diaye’s name first popped up in 2016 at a Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa Camp in Angola, where former Wildcat Eric Bledsoe was an instructor. At just 12 years old, he was one of 87 participants. Fast forward to 2020, ESPN highlighted a then 15-year-old N’Diaye as “one of the best long-term prospects we evaluated” following a Basketball Without Borders Global Camp in Chicago, playing against the likes of current NBA players Josh Giddey and Josh Primo.

N’Diaye began to play for professional clubs in 2019, starting with Dragons Rhoendorf, a German professional club that competes in the country’s third-highest division. After three seasons with them, N’Diaye moved to Saski Baskonia, which plays in Spain’s top division, Liga ACB. This past season, he played for the Italian club, Vanoli Cremona, in the LBA, Italy’s top basketball league. There, he averaged 10.2 points and 6.7 rebounds on 32% shooting from three. He entered his name into the NBA Draft in 2025 as a potential second-round selection, but went undrafted.

N’Diaye will now make his way to Lexington, where he will look to showcase his athleticism, physical tools, and floor spacing, and work on his decision-making and on-ball perimeter defense.

As the Donnie Freeman sweepstakes is becoming even more intense and the Wildcats are hosting a plethora of bigs this week, Mark Pope may be looking to add another guard under the radar to boost the team’s depth.

Jerone Morton, a 6-foot-4 transfer out of Washington State, is set to visit Kentucky on Friday, April 24, as first reported by Travis Branham (247Sports). Morton is a Lexington, KY native, attending George Rogers Clark during his high school days and playing just down the road for the Morehead State Eagles from 2023-2025 to start his college career.

Making the switch to the Cougars for his junior year, he started in 29 out of 32 games, the most of his career, and averaged 7.8 points per game on 43.8% shooting from the field. He also averaged 2.6 assists per game and shot 38.7% from deep.

A steady development in Morton’s game during his collegiate career thus far has been the shooting percentages. His freshman season, his splits only read 31.1% FG /16.7% 3PT/ 67.6% FT. Now, two seasons later, every category has increased by double-digit margins.

Will Pope close in on a hometown kid to add depth to the roster?

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.