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Mark Pope Speaks on Kentucky’s Roster Construction, “I’m Really Excited About Where We Are”

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2 years ago

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Eddie Justice/UK Athletics

Believe it or not, it has only been a little over two weeks since Mark Pope took over as the Kentucky Basketball head coach. In that span, A LOT has happened. Pope has filled four of his five assistant staff positions and is nearly halfway done with his roster, adding six players, including four from the transfer portal.

“I’m really excited about where we are today,” Pope started in his Monday morning interview with Kentucky Sports Radio, when asked about how the roster is coming together. “This is really artistic. It is puzzle pieces. With every new piece, it kinda changes the picture. Where you have to readjust what you’re looking for in the next piece.”

How many pieces is Pope looking at? Nearly 30. “On our big board right now, we’re actually working with 29 guys that we’ve really, really zeroed in on,” Pope said. A broad list, I know, but also options. All 29 names are in a color-coded tier on a “giant whiteboard”, which has a broken wheel he joked, in his office. The staff also shares Google docs of targets, which he has politely asked the Big Blue Nation not to hack into.

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Aidan Mahaney, who is coming off a weekend visit to Kentucky, and Great Osobor and Koby Brea, who are both currently visiting Kentucky, are certainly three of those players. After these visits and their coinciding decisions, Pope suggests the staff may take a brief pause to analyze the roster before proceeding further.

“I need to take a little pause right now and just see how our pieces are fitting together,” Pope said. Don’t be worried, they will go “lightspeed” again, but compares it to a “surgical pause”. With the transfer portal deadline coming on May 1st, it is a perfect time to look at all their options.

The next deadline to look toward is the May 29th NBA Draft deadline. Pope says he leaving some room open as Kentucky is talking to “a bunch of guys” that are going through the draft process before making a final decision. Two confirmed guys in that category are Jaxson Robinson, who played for Pope at BYU, and Jaylen Wells an uber-athlete from Washington State.

That said, Pope is not in the business of waiting until the last minute and being vulnerable to a last-minute decision. “We’re not going to leave too much space because there are really talented players that fit us now,” he said.

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As it stands, Kentucky is in a really good position with its roster. Some really solid pieces have been added over the last week, especially defensively. Now, it’s about getting a couple of “dudes”, some offensive firepower, and then a bench. Pope and Co. sound prepared to tackle that.

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Men's Basketball

Star Forward Milan Momcilovic Chooses Kentucky Over Louisville and Arizona

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1 day ago

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June 1, 2026

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Photo via AOL

The wait is over BBN!

Milan Momcilovic has officially announced that he will be playing his senior year of college basketball at Kentucky, suiting up in the blue and white for Mark Pope and the Wildcats!

The 6-foot-8 wing averaged 16.9 points per game in the 2025-26 season, leading the nation in 3-pointers made (136) and percentage from deep (48.7%).

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Momcilovic is mostly ranked as No. 2 in most portal rankings, but ESPN has the former Cyclone as the No. 1 overall player. With that being said, this technically serves as Pope’s first No. 1 transfer during his tenure at Kentucky.

Pulling his name out of the 2026 NBA Draft on Wednesday, May 27, Kentucky was seemingly the favorite to land the wing during the entire sweepstakes due to positional need, scheme fit and money available to spend. He could even play another year with the Kentucky Wildcats if the “5-in-5” rule is passed and he forgoes the draft again.

Putting Pat Kelsey in a locker and outbidding him on a recruit is always great for morale, but this fills the much-needed star spot for next year’s roster. Pope and his staff have shaped the team with plenty of skilled players, but Momcilovic adds that extra layer of shooting and will serve as the go-to guy when a game may be on the line.

This will be the final player added to the 2026-27 team, with an insert at the starting small forward position in Momcilovic’s future. Pope and the Big Blue Nation have their guy, and soon enough, we’ll see the Pewaukee, Wisconsin native on Rupp Arena’s court.

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Men's Basketball

National Reporter Matt Norlander Chooses Kentucky as Landing Spot for Star Forward Milan Momcilovic

Published

6 days ago

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May 28, 2026

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Photo via Imagn Images

The Milan Momcilovic sweepstakes is underway, with multiple teams involved in the No. 2 overall transfer player’s recruitment. It is believed that Kentucky and Louisville are the top candidates after his decision to pull out from the 2026 NBA Draft on Wednesday, May 27.

Along with the in-state rivals, Arizona and St. John’s are both very well still in the mix, but the Red Storm are slowly falling out of contention after landing Baylor’s Tounde Yessoufou.

On May 28, national reporter Matt Norlander cleared the air on CBS Sports’ Eye On College Basketball podcast, stating that he believes Kentucky will land Momcilovic by the end of the weekend or Monday.

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“My prediction right now is that Milan Momcilovic will go to Kentucky,” Norlander said. “My understanding is that decision is going to come in the next one, two, three days, four days max.”

He would go on to talk about the other top programs involved, stating why he thinks they will be working in an uphill battle in this bidding war.

“My forecast is that it’s Kentucky, but you know, we’ll see if Louisville can get in there,” he continued. “Arizona I don’t think has the money to contend, like I think Kentucky and Louisville just have more money to play with.”

For the worried members of the Big Blue Nation, this is certainly good news to be put out by one of the most trusted college basketball reporters at the national level.

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Going by this report and Adam Zagoria’s from NYT Sports, it shouldn’t be long until a commitment decision for Momcilovic is announced publicly.

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Men's Basketball

BREAKING: No. 2 Ranked Transfer Milan Momcilovic Removes Name From 2026 NBA Draft

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6 days ago

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May 27, 2026

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Kamil Krzaczynski | Imagn Images

Milan Momcilovic has officially removed his named from the 2026 NBA Draft and will return to college for his senior season.

Kentucky leads in his recruitment, followed closely by St. John’s, Louisville and Arizona. A backdoor to Iowa State is also still open.

The No. 2 ranked transfer would be a huge addition to Kentucky’s 2026-27 roster if he committed, averaging 16.9 points per game on 50.6/48.7/87.8 shooting splits last year. Funny enough, in the current world of college athletics that we live in, Momcilovic was responsible for eliminating the Wildcats from the NCAA Tournament, dropping 20 points in the Round of 32.

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He would go on to lose to Tennessee in the Sweet 16 with Iowa State, so at least we know that there’s some inner-hatred for a long-standing rival if he ends up a Wildcat.

He made the most three-point shots in Division I basketball and is a versatile 6-foot-8 wing, which would fit perfectly into Mark Pope’s offensive system. He completed workouts with the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves during the draft process.

Now, the bidding war for the top dog begins, with some of the most prestigious programs in the sport placing their bets on the star forward.

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