Men's Basketball
Tyler “Bucket” Herro to Enter NBA Draft, but Keeps Possibility to Return
Published
6 years agoon

As expected, Tyler “Bucket” Herro will put his name into the NBA Draft but will still retain the option to return for a sophomore season.
.@raf_tyler is going to “test the waters” & declare for the NBA Draft. He plans to sign with an agent, but under new NCAA rules, he will be eligible to return to school so long as he does so by May 29. Herro will make a final decision based on feedback from the NBA. Good luck, T! https://t.co/2NSnuZGBpb— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) April 12, 2019
As a freshman, Herro averaged 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.1 steals on 46.2% FG, 35.5% 3P, and a record-breaking 93.5% FT. Herro earned himself SEC Newcomer of the Year, Second Team All-SEC, and SEC All-Freshman honors.
Herro was one of the best shooters on this year’s team, but he showed the ability to do so much more from shutting down Wofford’s Fletcher “Oofer” Magee, the all-time NCAA three-point leader, to getting 13 rebounds against Tennessee.
Herro’s game translates very well to the NBA, which has become a “shooter’s” league and is currently projected between the 15-25 range in this year’s NBA Draft.
ESPN: 17th pick
CBS Sports: 23rd pick
NBA Draft.net: 20th pick
USA Today: 19th pick
Just like Keldon Johnson, a case could be made for Herro to return and could potentially be an All-American and a lottery pick next season. However, Calipari typically pushes first round picks to go and with how well Herro’s game appears to translate to the next level, I believe he will ultimately stay in the draft.
Whichever way Herro ultimately chooses he will always be remembered in Kentucky basketball folklore for this bucket.
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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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Published
1 day agoon
April 23, 2025Following 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”.
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.
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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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.
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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Published
2 days agoon
April 22, 2025Another 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.
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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