These are the top transfer portal targets for new Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope
Mark Pope will take his new post as the Kentucky men’s basketball coach with plenty to do from a roster-building perspective.
Essentially, Pope will have to build a brand-new roster in Lexington for the 2024-25 season. His predecessor, John Calipari, left UK with plenty of roster uncertainty between players potentially leaving via the NCAA transfer portal and for the NBA draft.
UK’s most experienced players, Tre Mitchell and Antonio Reeves, are out of college eligibility.
The six players in Calipari’s 2024 recruiting class at Kentucky are also expected to go their separate ways, aside from potentially in-state prospect Travis Perry.
In short, Pope arrives in Lexington with a blank canvas to work with to construct next season’s Wildcats.
Pope has a history of using the NCAA transfer portal with success at BYU. During Pope’s five seasons in Provo, some of his most impactful players were acquired via the portal.
This group includes Alex Barcello (Arizona), Te’Jon Lucas (Milwaukee), Rudi Williams (Kansas State and Coastal Carolina) and Jaxson Robinson (Arkansas). Robinson led the Cougars in scoring with more than 14 points per game last season.
There’s also the context of the school that Pope was recruiting transfers to: BYU has a religious affiliation with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, although Pope has recruited a wide variety of players in both high school and transfer portal recruiting.
With all of this in mind, here’s a look at the top 10 players currently available in the NCAA transfer portal.
Rankings are taken from college basketball statistician Evan Miyakawa and are accurate as of Friday morning.
Top college basketball transfer portal targets for Mark Pope
▪ 1: Oumar Ballo (Arizona): 12.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game in 36 games (all starts) during the 2023-24 season.
After spending his first college season at Gonzaga, Ballo transferred to Arizona to play for former Gonzaga assistant coach Tommy Lloyd. Ballo has played the last three seasons for the Wildcats.
A 7-foot, 260-pound center, Ballo will be entering his sixth season of college basketball after redshirting the 2019-20 season. Ballo was a first-team All-Pac112 selection in each of the last two seasons.
According to On3, Ballo has recruiting visits scheduled for Indiana, Kansas State and Louisville, with Florida and North Carolina also under consideration.
Ballo was a four-star recruit in the 2019 recruiting class.
▪ 2: Mark Mitchell (Duke): 11.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game in 33 games (32 starts) during the 2023-24 season.
Mitchell played his first two college seasons at Duke before hitting the transfer portal.
A 6-foot-9, 232-pound forward, Mitchell was a two-year starter for the Blue Devils and was known for his defensive versatility and ability to guard both frontcourt players and guards.
“He’s one of the most underrated and most versatile players in the country,” Duke assistant coach Chris Carrawell said last month during the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky had recruiting interest in Mitchell when Calipari was the head coach, but a scholarship offer was never extended.
Mitchell was a five-star recruit in the 2022 recruiting class.
▪ 3: Jonas Aidoo (Tennessee): 11.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1 assist per game in 36 games (all starts) during the 2023-24 season.
Aidoo has played all three of his college seasons at Tennessee. He became an every-game starter this season and improved in every statistical category except free-throw shooting. Aidoo has also entered his name for NBA draft consideration.
A 6-foot-11, 241-pound forward, Aidoo earned all-SEC and SEC all-defensive team honors last season. His 66 blocks ranked third in the SEC.
Aidoo was a four-star recruit in the 2021 recruiting class.
▪ 4: Vladislav Goldin (Florida Atlantic): 15.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game in 34 games (all starts) during the 2023-24 season.
Goldin, who was born in Russia, began his college basketball career at Texas Tech before playing the last three seasons at FAU. Goldin was an every-game starter and averaged more than 10 points per game for the FAU team that reached the 2023 Final Four.
Goldin’s former coach at FAU, Dusty May, is now the new head coach at Michigan.
A 7-foot-1, 240-pound center, Goldin was a three-star recruit in the 2020 recruiting class.
▪ 5: Aden Holloway (Auburn): 7.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in 35 games (26 starts) during the 2023-24 season.
Holloway only played one season for Bruce Pearl at Auburn before electing to transfer. He had an up-and-down season as Auburn’s primary starter at point guard, and a significant shooting slump took hold toward the end of Holloway’s freshman season.
Still, the 6-foot-1, 178-pound Holloway was an SEC all-freshman team selection.
Holloway is a former McDonald’s All-American and was a five-star recruit in the 2023 recruiting class.
▪ 6: Tony Perkins (Iowa): 14 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game in 34 games (all starts) during the 2023-24 season.
Perkins was a four-year player at Iowa before entering the transfer portal. He developed into an every-game starter during the last two seasons. He was a second-team All-Big Ten selection last season.
A 6-foot-4, 205-pound guard, Perkins has cut his list of schools under consideration to Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Oregon.
Perkins was a three-star recruit in the 2020 recruiting class.
▪ 7: Kylan Boswell (Arizona): 9.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game in 36 games (35 starts) during the 2023-24 season.
Boswell played for two seasons at Arizona before entering the transfer portal. He came off the bench entirely as a freshman and was an every-game starter as a sophomore.
Boswell had some consistency issues at Arizona and Wildcats’ coach Tommy Lloyd publicly said this season that he wanted Boswell to be more aggressive on offense.
A 6-foot-2, 200-pound guard, Boswell was a four-star recruit in the 2022 recruiting class. Boswell reclassified from the 2023 recruiting class to that 2022 recruiting group.
▪ 8: Sean Pedulla (Virginia Tech): 16.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game in 32 games (all starts) during the 2023-24 season.
Pedulla played three seasons at Virginia Tech before entering the transfer portal. He led the Hokies in points and assists per game and was recognized on the All-ACC third team last season.
An Oklahoma native, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Pedulla also led Virginia Tech in steals last season with 37.
Pedulla was a three-star recruit in the 2021 recruiting class.
▪ 9: Robbie Avila (Indiana State): 17.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game in 37 games (all starts) during the 2023-24 season.
Avila became a cult hero among college basketball fans this season, his second campaign with the Sycamores. He was the leading scorer, second-leading rebounder and second-leading assist man for an Indiana State team that returned to the AP Top 25 poll for the first time since 1979, narrowly missed an NCAA tournament bid and reached the NIT championship game.
A 6-foot-10, 240-pound center, Avila was also nearly an every-game starter for Indiana State during his freshman season in the 2022-23 campaign.
Avila was a a two-star recruit in the 2022 recruiting class.
▪ 10: Pop Isaacs (Texas Tech): 15.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in 34 games (all starts) during the 2023-24 season.
Isaacs played two seasons at Texas Tech as an every-game starter before entering the transfer portal. He was the Red Raiders’ leading scorer last season and also averaged an assist per game.
A civil lawsuit was filed in January against Isaacs accusing him of sexually assaulting a minor during a Texas Tech team trip to The Bahamas in November. Isaacs has denied the allegations.
Isaacs was a four-star recruit in the 2022 recruiting class.
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