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Men's Basketball

Why UK needs Coach Cal to step away from the Titanic

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John Calipari observing his team at Kentucky basketball practice at the Joe Craft Center.

I won’t spend any time talking about last night’s loss; there’s really not much to say about it. Another year, another disappointing postseason from Calipari’s Wildcats. Big Blue Nation is devastated, distraught, enraged, and ready for a change. Stealing from James Cameron’s Titanic, BBN could hear the violins playing after last night’s loss as it seemed the UK ship was sinking. Even though UK earned a 3-seed in the NCAAT, in some ways, today is a much lower point for the program than the 9-16 season. So, it begs the question, where does UK go from here? Does the University itself want to part ways from Cal? Can the University even financially afford to do so? There’s a $33 million dollar hurdle to overcome…

The Buy-out concern

As it stands today, Calipari would be owed around $33 million dollars if UK were to fire him. As successful of a national brand as UK is, the university can’t afford a $33 million buyout. If choosing to go that route though, then how much money does UK have to pay the replacement coach? The finances behind a Cal-removal is of major concern, it’s quite the burden. If UK were to part ways with Cal, they would owe him the remainder of his contract. That is $33 million, rumored to be paid across 5 years. That raises major concerns for how much UK can afford to pay the next UK coach. By the way, shoutout to AD Mitch Barnhart for putting UK in such a terrible situation with Cal’s “lifetime contract.” There’s a real chance that Cal’s impending demise will drag Barnhart through the mud as well. But I digress…

Coach Cal needs to walk away

Cal needs to walk away on his own. UK isn’t going to pay the massive buyout. I don’t see any possibility that Coach Cal sits down with Barnhart to re-structure his current contract. Cal needs to walk away. UK has paid him an INSANE amount of money in his tenure here. He owes a great deal to this university. His only national championship was here in the Bluegrass. His books, shows, foundation, his new podcast: all launched at UK. He has accomplished a great deal here, but also owes a great deal to UK and its fanbase. So, he needs to save UK the cost of the buyout. He needs to save UK the fanbase turmoil and division. He needs to save UK the financial obstacle of hiring the next UK coach. Cal’s ego be damned, he needs to walk away before his tenure at UK parallels the Titanic’s demise.

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Can Coach Cal and AD Barnhart make it work?

I fully expect Cal and Mitch to have a meeting, of sorts at least. It’s well known that Cal and Mitch don’t have a great relationship. But Mitch won’t stray away from this impending iceberg. He has to lead, has to make difficult decisions. Mitch and Cal need to have a face-to-face difficult conversation in the immediate future. But to me, the best avenue is Cal to walk away. If there’s a chance to mediate some kind of negotiated lower-buyout, perfect. But short of that, Cal owes it to the university, the fanbase, and the future of the program to walk away now.

Kentucky hasn't meet expectations the last four seasons under John Calipari. Is it time for him to go?

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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