Kentucky basketball depth chart: How Mark Pope rebuilt roster after John Calipari’s exit |
Continuity is the exception in the NIL and transfer portal era of college basketball, but Kentucky took roster turnover to a new level this past offseason.
John Calipari’s exit from Lexington meant newly hired coach Mark Pope had to rebuild the Wildcats’ roster from scratch. That’s not hyperbole — no rotation players returned from last season’s team, and none of Kentucky’s highly touted recruits stayed committed to the program after Calipari bolted for Arkansas.
What the transfer portal takes, the transfer portal gives.
Pope went to work as soon as he was hired, building a brand new roster with impressive depth but enough question marks to make this Kentucky team one of the most unpredictable in the nation.
So, who’s on the first Kentucky team of the new era? Here’s a look at all of the players Pope brought into the program.
Through two games, Pope has operated with a 10-man rotation comprised of nine transfers and one freshman. Despite coming off the bench, Koby Brea leads the Wildcats in both minutes and points.
Here’s how Kentucky’s 15-man roster breaks down:
The only player on this season’s roster who played at any point for Kentucky last season is Grant Darbyshire, who played a total of three minutes for the Wildcats as a true freshman.
All nine transfer additions started the season in Pope’s rotation, along with freshman Collin Chandler. The rest of the roster is made up of freshmen, with the exception of walk-on Zach Tow.
Pope effectively played fantasy basketball as soon as he took over at Kentucky, going out and piecing his first Wildcats roster together with transfers from all walks of life.
Kentucky is a major brand, but Pope wasn’t afraid to recruit from smaller schools.
Ansley Almonor (Fairleigh Dickinson) and Amari Williams (Drexel) are making a huge leap by joining the SEC, for example.
Elsewhere, Kentucky added some big-game experience.Kerr Kriisa got his start at Arizona and has started four NCAA Tournament games, while Lamont Butler hit an all-time buzzer-beater when his last-second shot sent San Diego State to the national championship game in 2023. Jaxson Robinson, now on his fourth stop, played under Pope for two seasons at BYU.
The biggest coup for Kentucky in the portal might have been the player currently serving as the Wildcats’ sixth man. Former Dayton guard Koby Brea emerged as an elite shooter last season and was chased by blue bloods of every shade after he entered the portal.
After entertaining interest from UConn, Duke, North Carolina, and Kansas, Brea chose a Kentucky team with the lowest expectations but the largest role.
Brea has taken advantage of that role by shooting a stellar 10-of-12 from 3-point range through two games.
Turning nine players who have never played together into a cohesive unit isn’t easy, which is likely why experience seemed to matter so much to Pope.
Seven-of-nine transfer additions are seniors, with Brandon Garrison and Otega Oweh the only exceptions. That means building for 2025-26 will be its own challenge, but the Kentucky brand can attract big-name players in the portal — particularly if Pope can put some wins on the board in year one.
