Transfer portal talk: Kentucky men’s basketball linked to former Western Kentucky big man
The roster-building process for the Kentucky men’s basketball program remains ongoing.
Stay-or-go decisions for several key members of the 2022-23 Wildcats have yet to be made, and the Wildcats haven’t yet secured the commitment of any player in the NCAA transfer portal.
But that doesn’t mean head coach John Calipari and his staff haven’t been reaching out to some of the top available college players in the portal.
Spanning all positions on the court, Kentucky has made contact with several college basketball players looking for a new home.
Here’s a quick look at some players in the NCAA transfer portal with the biggest buzz for a possible relocation to Lexington.
Hunter Dickinson
The former Michigan center is the consensus top-ranked player available in the NCAA transfer portal. Until he makes a choice about his next playing destination, talk will continue about Dickinson becoming a Wildcat.
The 7-foot-1 big man started all 34 games for Michigan last season, and led the Wolverines with 18.5 points per game along with a career-best nine rebounds per game.
Information has been at a premium when trying to determine Dickinson’s next school, but a meeting with Arkansas and a Zoom call with Kentucky have shaped most of the existing discourse.
It’s also worth remembering Dickinson took an unofficial visit to UK during his initial college recruitment.
Of course, Dickinson could still ultimately return to Michigan, and fellow Big Ten school Maryland is also among his suitors.
All options appear to be on the table for Dickinson.
Harrison Ingram
The former Stanford Cardinal small forward spoke to John Calipari this week.
A former McDonald’s All-American (class of 2021) and five-star recruit, Ingram chose Stanford from a final list that included Harvard, Howard, Michigan and North Carolina.
He made an instant impact and was named the 2021-22 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year after averaging 10.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in his debut college season.
Last season, the 6-foot-7 Ingram had per-game averages of 10.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists.
North Carolina, an initial finalist in Ingram’s recruitment, is currently viewed as the school pursuing him the hardest.
A “three” who can also deputize as a small-ball “four,” Ingram does come with concerns about his free-throw shooting: This past season, Ingram made just 59.8% of his foul shots.
Jamarion Sharp
Former Western Kentucky center Jamarion Sharp has already emerged as a local, fan-favorite choice to join the Wildcats.
Sharp is currently in the transfer portal while also testing the NBA Draft process, and has one season left of college eligibility.
A two-year player at both John A. Logan College at the junior-college level and at WKU, Sharp has heard from a plethora of big-time college basketball programs since entering the portal, including UK.
The 7-5 Sharp is known for his elite rim protection and shot-blocking ability. He averaged more than four blocks per game last season, which led the nation.
In his first season at WKU during the 2021-22 season, Sharp averaged 4.6 blocks per game.
Fans may also recall Sharp’s exploits from that season inside Rupp Arena against the Cats: He had eight points, seven blocks and six rebounds in 25 minutes against UK.
Missouri is another SEC school to monitor with Sharp.
Louisville makes move for top-10 2023 recruit
While it’s not news as it relates to the NCAA transfer portal, it’s worth mentioning what head coach Kenny Payne and the Louisville Cardinals have done this offseason.
Louisville’s roster from last season — in which the Cardinals infamously won only four games — has been completely revamped.
The outgoing players so far are Fabio Basili, Sydney Curry, El Ellis, Kamari Lands (Arizona State), Ashton Myles-Devore, Devin Ree, Roosevelt Wheeler and Jae’Lyn Withers (North Carolina).
The incoming players are Skyy Clark (Illinois) and five freshmen, headlined by four-star small forward Trentyn Flowers and four-star center Dennis Evans, whom Louisville landed after Evans was released from his national letter of intent with Minnesota.
Now, Payne and his staff could make their biggest splash yet with a five-star 2023 recruit who is unexpectedly available.
Five-star Duke signee Mackenzie Mgbako has requested a release from his national letter of intent with the Blue Devils, and Louisville is viewed as a likely landing spot for the player ranked No. 7 overall in the 2023 class, per the 247Sports Composite.
Last April, Mgbako picked Duke over Kentucky, Memphis and Ohio State, but the 6-8 center also had a scholarship offer from the Cardinals.
The connection that would tie Mgbako to Louisville is current Louisville assistant coach Nolan Smith, who was formerly an assistant coach at Duke who recruited Mgbako to the Blue Devils.
Mgbako recently impressed on a major prep basketball stage as well, scoring 22 points and grabbing eight rebounds while playing for Team World at the Nike Hoop Summit.
