Mark Pope sends clear message about Kentucky’s transfer portal moves: “I’m actually scouring the planet”
Kentucky Wildcats coach Mark Pope had a relatively successful first stint with his alma mater despite a shaky start to the 2024-2025 season. Pope and Co. made it to the Sweet 16 of the March Madness 2025 but were eliminated by their SEC rivals and the second seed of the Midwest region - the Tennessee Volunteers - with a 78-65 defeat on Mar. 28.
Despite the premature exit from the national tournament, many still deemed Pope's first tenure with the Wildcats steady, after they had an up-and-down SEC performance earlier in the year. The 52-year-old had lofty shoes to fill with the exit of legendary tactician John Calipari, but after this season, there is much to look forward to.
During an interview with John Rothstein of CBS Sports, Mark Pope revealed that he has been actively looking to retool his Kentucky roster this offseason. He also sent a clear message about his team's moves in the transfer portal.
"I'd like to play them all. So I have 12 guys right now, so I have 12 guys to comelhelp us. We're actually going to try and round out this roster. I'm actually scouring the planet right now for guys that would fit in as maybe a red shirt guy that would kill it in practice or maybe a last year of your career guy that maybe wants to come here," Pope said. (0:20)
"And put on this one-of-one jersey and be a part of this. So, we need to add a couple more pieces but right now, we have our roster that's going to own the minutes on this floor and we have all the pieces," he concluded.
The Wildcats rounded out the year with a 22-11 (10-8 conference) record, earning a national tournament appearance.
Mark Pope has complete faith in his potential 2025-2026 Kentucky Wildcats roster
Later, during his interview with John Rothstein, Mark Pope asserted that he already had complete faith in his current team of players. The young coach was asked about his thoughts on how deep his team is at the moment, to which Pope responded by instilling his complete confidence in their abilities.
"We can do it, we could get it done. Now, there's a lot of teams that can get it done, but if we do this right with the right guys, you know, we can get this done, and that's our job. That is what we are supposed to do, that's the standard here, and nothing less is acceptable," he shared. (0:03)
Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats are bolstering their squad for the 2025-2026 campaign with the likes of Mouhamed Dioubate, Andrija Jelavic, Denzel Aberdeen, and Malachi Moreno joining the fray.