Tre Mitchell Transfer: Following Bob Huggins' resignation, the West Virginia center commits to the Kentucky Wildcats after a campus visit last week

Landing Tre Mitchell is a coup of epic proportions, considering his talent, leadership and immediate potential. Kentucky coach John Calipari and his staff have been hard at work trying to fill in their understaffed roster, and this was a huge steal.

For such a prestigious program, Kentucky was in an alarming position at the beginning of the month. As of June 1, they only had seven fully committed scholarship players. All of whom were either freshmen, albeit the nation's No. 1 recruiting class, or sophomores.

The lack of leadership and veteran experience was quite stark until they managed to convince Tre Mitchell to ditch the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Mitchell left after coach Bob Huggins resigned following his DUI arrest in Pittsburgh barely a month after being suspended for using homophobic slurs live on air.

So, what makes Mitchell so special and a significant steal for the Wildcats?

Brandon Ramsey

@BRamseyKSR

There is a lot to like about Tre Mitchell's game offensively. Skilled & versatile. Has good feel with his back to the basket. These are the type of moves we always wanted Jacob Toppin to develop. Turns drives into post moves. Quick flip of the hips, midline, fake, lefty finish.

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There is a lot to like about Tre Mitchell's game offensively. Skilled & versatile. Has good feel with his back to the basket. These are the type of moves we always wanted Jacob Toppin to develop. Turns drives into post moves. Quick flip of the hips, midline, fake, lefty finish. https://t.co/rdtSH5b50S

Tre Mitchell, Kentucky's first rebuilding piece

Following the resignation of Bob Huggins, players in the West Virginia program were given a special 30-day window by the NCAA to enter the transfer portal if they so wished.

The upheaval of a coach leaving is one of the biggest reasons why a player can change teams, and Mitchell did so. He visited Kentucky last week, met coach Calipari and quickly made a decision to commit to them.

Last season at West Virginia, the big man averaged 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, showing great versatility and a tendency to make the tough shots.

He is a steal for another reason. The Wildcats have lost five-star recruit Aaron Bradshaw to a foot injury which will keep him out indefinitely.

Not only can Mitchell soften that blow, but he brings veteran leadership to a team that's young. His signing added onto the re-signing of Antonio Reeves will give coach Calipari hope that he has assembled a roster with the right mix of youth and veterans.

Coach Calipari was so excited about Tre Mitchell's commitment to Kentucky, he tweeted about the qualities that made the signing so significant:

“Tre is from Pittsburgh and I’ve known him for years. This was a unique situation, but as soon as he put his name in the portal, he was a player I knew we needed to pursue. He brings leadership, experience, size and versatility and is a great fit for what we want to do.

"I know this is a win for us, and I believe this will be a win for him, too. We are excited to have him as a part of our program.”

In addition, Calipari brought in talented players like Joey Hart and Jordan Burks, who had committed to Ole Miss from Overtime Elite but opted for Kentucky.

According to 247Sports, this Kentucky roster now has three of the six best prospects of the 2023 class. Calipari is hoping that this roster can take Kentucky past the second round of March Madness for the first time since 2020.

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