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BB Recruiting

The University of Memphis Charged With Multiple Level 1 and Level 2 Violations

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Credit: USA TODAY Sports

To begin the season, the Memphis Tigers had high hopes. After signing the top recruiting class in 2021, featuring two potential top-5 draft picks, Emoni Bates and Jalen Duren, the Memphis Tigers looked like they had the pieces to make a deep run in March.

However, the Tigers fell to 7-6 through 2020 which featured bad losses to Georgia and Ole Miss. The Tigers were able to rebound to end the season to make the NCAA Tournament and give Gonzaga a fight in the second round

While Memphis ended the season on a positive trend, it does not seem that the upward trajectory will continue for the Tigers, as the NCAA has charged them with “at least four” level 1 and two level 2 violations, reported by the Commercial Appeal in Memphis.

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The notice of allegations featuring these violations was received back on July 9, 2021, and is reported to show that the violations occured between May 2019 and February 2021.

The violations cite NCAA clauses related to lack of institutional control, head coach responsibility, and failure to monitor (sound familiar Louisville?). Stating, that head coach Penny Hardaway “failed to demonstrate that he promoted an atmosphere of compliance within the men’s basketball program.”

The notice of allegations also mentions that data from a computer hard drive belonging to former Memphis assistant, Mike Miller, was not deleted.

“A subsequent forensic examination revealed that the former assistant men’s basketball coach’s computer hard drive was formatted on June 5, 2020, and as a result, the data on the computer was deleted… The Institution failed to conduct an adequate investigation into why the computer’s hard drive was not preserved.”

In a response to the notice of allegations dated October 25, 2021, Memphis either denied or expressed their position that the allegations did not merit Level 1 designation.

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“The facts do not demonstrate a lack of control, a failure to monitor, a failure to cooperate, or a lack of (redacted) responsibility… Finally, the NOA contains no specific facts, and it is the specific facts that are imperative for the resolution of this matter.”

There is a dark cloud looming around the Memphis basketball program and head coach Penny Hardaway, and it will be interesting to see what comes of this.

In addition to Memphis, I expect to finally see progress on the NCAA investigations of other programs such as Louisville, Kansas, and LSU among others, this summer.

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BB Recruiting

Mark Pope Recruited Five-Star Recruit Nate Ament During His Tennessee Visit

Mark Pope made sure to get a word in with Nate Ament following Kentucky’s impressive road win against Tennessee.

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Nate Ament, a five-star prospect ranked fourth (ESPN 100) in the 2025 class, made an official visit to potential suitor Tennessee last Tuesday, Jan. 27. Unfortunately for them, Mark Pope and his Kentucky Wildcats were in town.

The ‘Cats put on a show in front of the highly-touted recruit, spoiling the Volunteer’s homecoming and making a statement to a player who has yet to make an official commitment.

Not only that, but Kentucky is still in the mix. Ament recently cut down his list of schools to a final bunch: BYU, Duke, Louisville, Tennessee, Alabama, and the Big Blue, among others.

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While Duke currently holds the next visit and opportunity to sway Ament in their direction, Coach Pope made sure he got a word in after the win against Tennessee.

“Let’s go Nate”

According to KSR’s Jacob Polacheck, Pope reportedly passed Ament as he left the handshake line, saying “Let’s go Nate,” and C’mon, Nate.” There are few ways more effective to prove yourself and your system to a player than to win in convincing fashion right in front of them.

Without a doubt, Pope earned himself and the program a few brownie points with that one.

If Kentucky were to land Ament, he’d fit right into the ranks of recruits that Pope has landed so far. Then again, a 6’9 forward averaging nearly 20 points per game in high school could likely find a spot just about anywhere.

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According to Ament, two of the most important aspects of his decision are “player development” and “the family aspect of the team.”

“Wherever I go I want to make sure I’m taken care of and have the best relationships. I also want to be challenged to get better and play for a coach that lets me play through my mistakes,” he said.

If Mark Pope is known for anything, it’s his personable approach to coaching and his constant insistence on study and improvement. For Ament, it seems like Kentucky is a good fit and he will be taking a visit to Lexington in February.

Can Mark Pope get his first top-five recruit?

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Top Recruit Cancels Visit to John Calipari and Arkansas, Kentucky the Perceived Leader

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Chet White | UK Athletics, Nelson Chenault | Imagn

Recruiting. That was Mark Pope’s biggest criticism at BYU and in just six months he has calmed most of those worries. In addition to recruiting thirteen guys in a little over a month for his first team, he has signed three top 30 prospects for the 2025 class, including two five stars, as Kentucky sits third overall in the recruiting rankings.

Now, it looks like Pope is nearing his first top-10 prospect, besting John Calipari and Arkansas.

Caleb Wilson, a 6-9, 205-pound wing from Atlanta, cancelled his visit to Arkansas for the second time on Thursday and is not expected to reschedule. In a recent interview with Jack Pilgrim, Wilson had less-than-ideal things to say about the Razorbacks.

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“I really have never considered or thought about Arkansas before Coach Cal went there,” Wilson said. “I’m not really in tune with the school. I never thought I would be interested in Arkansas. I never knew anything about them. I never knew they were in the SEC until like a year ago.”

Meanwhile, Wilson was in attendance for Kentucky’s win over Duke on Tuesday.

The recruitment for Wilson has been interesting. Wilson was heavily considering Kentucky when Calipari was still the head coach, attending the 2023 Big Blue Madness, and many thought that would carry over with his move to Arkansas. Towards the end of the grassroots circuit, it was clear that wasn’t the case.

That is when Kentucky started making a strong push for Wilson, with the primary competition being North Carolina. When Wilson visited Lexington in September it vaulted them to the top of the list and they have continued to carry that momentum in the weeks since. A NIL offer upwards of $2 million doesn’t hurt either.

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A final list for Wilson is expected to be released soon, with a decision coming by mid-January. You should really like Kentucky’s chances, and what a statement it would be to get a commit over Calipari and another over North Carolina (Malachi Moreno and Jasper Johnson).

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BREAKING: Four-Star PG Acaden Lewis Commits to Kentucky over Duke and UConn, “You Can’t Beat What They Are Doing”

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2025 four-star point guard prospect Acaden Lewis has announced his commitment to Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats.
UK Athletics

It’s a good start to the weekend as Kentucky basketball has picked up a commitment. 2025 four-star point guard Acaden Lewis from Washington, D.C., announced his commitment to Kentucky on Saturday afternoon, picking the Wildcats over Duke and Connecticut.

Funny enough, during an unofficial visit in Lexington back in June, Mark Pope joked with fans that Lewis was committing to Kentucky. While Lewis didn’t commit that day, Pope was able to seal the deal a few months later.

Why Kentucky?

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“It felt like a community. Pope, he was in the hood with me. He came to my barber shop and everything. It felt like a home. Felt like somewhere I should be. The system is great.”

Lewis joins five-star commits Malachi Moreno and Jasper Johnson in Kentucky’s class, and helps bolster the Wildcats’ class ranking up to second, only behind Duke. Both players recruited Lewis to join them, with Moreno joining him for part of his official visit to Kentucky back in October, including being featured in his photoshoot. Shortly after the visit, Lewis said in an interview about Kentucky, “You can’t beat what they were doing.”

While Moreno and Johnson were big recruiting victories, they were both players from Kentucky. This is Pope’s commitment from outside of the state, and he went up against the bluest of blue bloods in Duke, UConn, and North Carolina.

Now, can Lewis help Kentucky close the deal on consensus top 10 wing Caleb Wilson? The two have expressed a lot of interest in playing together, and Wilson is aiming to make a decision by December, with Kentucky as one of the two leaders.

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Scouting Report

Lewis is a lefty lead guard who is extremely talented with the ball. He has soft hands and natural touch that are the foundation of a very advanced skill set. His handle is tight, he’s a lay-up maker with both hands, and he has soft floaters and tough pull-ups alike in the mid-range area. While Lewis connected on just 31% of his threes during EYBL play, he’s a much better shooter than those numbers indicate. He made 83% of his free throws, attempted nearly 7 threes per game, and projects as someone who not only has gravity spotting up but can be a movement shooter as well.

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