Vicky Graff Photo
Five players expected a few weeks ago to be on Kentucky’s 2024-25 basketball roster all now have other plans.
Croatian Zvonimir Ivisic came to UK to play for coach John Calipari despite a lot of issues gaining his eligibility. Once he did get to play, he had some bright spots but not nearly as many as he hoped.
The 7-2 freshman averaged 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game in the 15 games replayed. He shot 57.7 percent overall from the field and 37.5 percent from 3.
He met with new UK coach Mark Pope Monday and then announced he was going to stick with Calipari and transfer to Arkansas. He said he would “forever be grateful” to UK fans for their support in a social media post. However, he said he came to college to win a national title and make the NBA and “no one does both of those at the same time” better than Calipari.
Another freshman 7-footer, Aaron Bradshaw, averaged 4.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 13.7 minutes per game last season — way below his preseason expectations. He quickly put his name into the transfer portal when Calipari left for Arkansas but announced Monday he would transfer to Ohio State.
Ugonna Onyenso, Kentucky’s third 7-footer on last year’s team, is not bothering to transfer. He’s headed for the NBA Draft.
“I’m not thinking about coming back to play college basketball. I’m 100 percent focused on the NBA,” the sophomore told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
In 24 games, including 14 starts, Onyenso averaged 3.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 18.8 minutes per game.
Freshman point guard DJ Wagner, a five-star recruit with close ties to Calipari, put his name into the transfer portal Monday. He started 28 games last season and averaged 9.9 points, 3.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game. His father, DaJuan, played for Calipari and so did his grandfather, Milt.
Wagner did indicate he was keeping his options open, including a return to Kentucky and possibly entering the NBA draft.
Kentucky signee Boogie Fland, a five-star combo guard, has now asked for his national release from Kentucky according to 247Sports’ Travis Branham. Commit Karter Knox had already re-opened his recruitment and both signee Jayden Quaintance had done the same.
Fland was a top 20 player in his recruiting class and the second best combo guard and the third best prospect from New Jersey.
13 Responses
And I don’t see one addition to the team except possibly a 6’11" graduate transfer who averaged 5 ppg and is supposed to be a great passer. Actions speak louder than words and as cool as his press conference was I’m beginning to get worried. None of the good players on BYUs roster has Kentucky on schools they are interested in transferring too. All Kentucky’s players are running for the hills. That leaves Travis Perry. I think Reed Sheppard who should have been one of the first to tell what his future brings is holding out because he’s not coming back and he knows all the fans want him back. If we miss on Sheppard Pope is going to have to convince me by the players he signs not by pulling up in a bus loaded . with the 96 championship team. Arkansas is probably going to beat us by 20 next year. We all know how fast calapari can turn a program around. So the parties over Pope needs to get to work and prove his worth by what he assembles not by what he says. He’s also a Mormon and to me Mormons are worse than muslims. If you watch the Mormon cartoon on YouTube and see what mormons beliefs really are you will be amazed. I never take Mormons seriously. They are very gullable people. I’m just saying. It seems to me like Calculating had most of the team coming back if he would have stayed at Kentucky the same thing that happened in 2015. We will see what Pope puts together.
Reed owes no one an explanation or decision on what he is doing until he is ready. Scholarships are year-to-year, so every student has the right to make their decision, also. Every school that loses a coach goes through exactly the same thing we are going through, along with Arkansas and Louisville, right now. The sky isn’t falling. You are dealing with kids, many of whom have unrealistic expectations on short term goals.
We won’t win the NCAA tournament next year and I have no expectations for the team other than to play hard and be competitive. It takes time to build a team and Pope also has to build his staff. These things are not done overnight.
I don’t want a quick short term fix. I want to see UK built back with a strong foundation centered around the team, not individuals.
Some of the players that are leaving because Coach Pope said everyone had to fight for their playing time.
Also said play for what’s on the front of the jersey.
I love big Z. I’ve never heard Rupp as loud as the Georgia game. But he’s like molasses on defense, Bless him.
I agree to a certain point. I also think some of what we are seeing is the "entitlement" attitude many young people have today. With over 30 years of teaching, I have seen the change coming for years and it doesn’t look like it is getting better any time soon.
I also think some of these kids are afraid to go into the unknown and I understand that, also. Most of these kids don’t know Pope. Don’t know his style. Don’t know much about him. Kids like to talk to those who have gone through time with a certain coach and Pope is not in much of a position to make that happen at UK. It will take time, but I think we will start seeing an improvement next year. What Pope needs is to find a couple of diamonds in the rough that really turn it on and grab some media attention. That will get a lot of kids attention.
Milt played for denny
The sky is falling!!!!
Right! Now we will see who the real Cat fans are and who blow with the wind. I see some wind already.
I said that trying to be funny.
We all saw who were the real cat fans with the last coach.
Just heard we hired Nazr Mohammed for NIL/GM job.
Don’t know if true
I guess I am falling in the middle of some of the comments above. I am starting to get a little worried with incoming traffic and most of the exits were highly predictable. A almost laughable comment came from Ony yesterday when he told the world all he could do yet showed little if an in game situations, but then again, he was saddled with a coach that hasn’t actually coached in last few years and also lost his touch on being able to develop anyone also during same time period.
Any of the Fraud’s PETS that don’t want to play next season for "KENTUCKY" on their jersies, needs to get out now!!!!
Whether they get out and move to the draft night or move to follow the fraud, or they move to find a new basketball home for yet another year of basketball program matters not to me.
Mark Pope will have a team consisting of players who want to play and win for UK. That alone reflects what the price has been over the last 15 years.
Looks like all of Cali-Fraudi’s recruits are bailing on the U so F all of them. I do think that Pope will be able to bring in recruits that can find a way to want to play for the name on the jersey.