LEXINGTON — Aside from a trio of freshmen, the first Kentucky basketball roster under Mark Pope‘s guidance was fortified by the transfer portal.
Now, looking ahead to Year 2, Pope and the rest of the Wildcats‘ coaching staff has turned to the portal once more.
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That’s because UK will lose at least eight players from the 2024-25 roster. Seven were seniors. Six no longer had any eligibility remaining: Ansley Almonor, Koby Brea, Lamont Butler, Andrew Carr, Jaxson Robinson and Amari Williams. The other, Kerr Kriisa, had the ability return for a sixth season via a medical redshirt; he announced March 31 he planned to transfer and found his new home April 6.
Fellow guard Travis Perry, who will be a sophomore in 2025-26, joined Kriisa in the portal. Perry put his name in April 22, just hours before the portal closed. He announced his next destination May 4.
Other UK players decided to stay.
Forward Brandon Garrison, a rising junior, announced April 12 he’d be back in Lexington next season. Freshmen Collin Chandler (April 17) and Trent Noah (April 18) later did the same, while guard Otega Oweh revealed April 15 he was declaring for the NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility.
Kentucky basketball incoming transfers
Denzel Aberdeen
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – APRIL 07: Milos Uzan #7 of the Houston Cougars dribbles the ball against Denzel Aberdeen #11 of the Florida Gators during the first half in the National Championship of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Alamodome on April 07, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
Guard Denzel Aberdeen moved over from conference rival — and reigning national champion — Florida, committing April 21. The Florida native spent the past three seasons with his home-state program, appearing in 83 games over that span. While that included just five starts (all last season), Aberdeen continued to improve in all areas, upping his points, rebounds and assist averages each year. He scored a career-high 22 points in an 88-67 win over South Carolina last season. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Aberdeen will be a senior in 2025-26. UK officially announced Aberdeen’s addition April 22.
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Pope on Aberdeen: “Denzel is a winner, in every sense of the word. He has won at every level of basketball, and that’s all that he talks about. Zel is a great young man who works for everything he earns. He’s a three-level scorer and a rangy defender who has tremendous length.”
Mouhamed Dioubate
Mar 27, 2025; Newark, NJ, USA; Brigham Young Cougars guard Egor Demin (3) drives to the basket against Alabama Crimson Tide forward Mouhamed Dioubate (10) during the first half during an East Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Former Alabama forward Mouhamed Dioubate, who was transfer portal commitment No. 3 when he revealed his pledge to UK on April 7, hasn’t started a game the past two seasons. But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t a key member for the Crimson Tide. He combined to appear in 70 games during that stretch. And he exhibited notable growth from Year 1 to Year 2. As a freshman in 2023-24, Dioubate averaged 2.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per game. He upped those averages to 7.2 points and 5.9 rebounds in 16 minutes per outing as a sophomore. Dioubate will be a junior when he suits up for the Wildcats next season. UK officially announced his signing April 11.
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Pope on Dioubate: “Mouhamed is a special young man who is a perfect fit for the way we play. He is a ballhandling, decision-making, physical, competitor. Mo can play and guard all five positions and has a presence as a point forward which makes him uniquely suited to play for us.”
Jaland Lowe
Mar 11, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Jaland Lowe (15) back on defense against Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Markus Burton (3) during the first half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Guard Jaland Lowe, who was Kentucky’s second transfer portal commit when he joined April 5, has been a fixture in Pittsburgh‘s rotation the past two seasons. He started all 31 games he played in during the 2024-25 campaign. And Lowe started 19 times (in 33 contests) during his freshman season in 2023-24. He landed on the All-ACC third team in 2024-25 after averaging 16.8 points, 5.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. Lowe scored 20-plus points on 10 occasions, with a high of 28 in a 91-90 overtime triumph at Ohio State on Nov. 29. He also notched only the sixth triple-double in school history, tallying 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 93-48 shellacking of VMI on Nov. 18. The 6-foot-3 Texas native will be a junior next season. The program officially announced his addition April 11.
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Pope on Lowe: “Jaland is an incredibly explosive, playmaking, veteran point guard. He’s a great kid who has a tremendous work ethic and most importantly, loves this game and wants nothing more than to win.”
Reece Potter
Dec 6, 2023; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward Zed Key (23) strips the ball from Miami Redhawks center Reece Potter (35) during the second half of the NCAA men’s basketball game at Value City Arena. Ohio State won 84-64.
Reece Potter played for Miami (Ohio) the past two seasons and pledged to Kentucky on May 5. A 7-foot-1, 215-pound center, Potter averaged 6.3 points and 3.4 rebounds during his two-year stint with the RedHawks, appearing in 56 games (11 starts). He had 11 games of 10-plus points, topped by a personal-best 19 last season in a win over Sacred Heart. Potter is no stranger to Lexington: He starred at Lexington Catholic High during his prep career. During his senior season at Lexington Catholic, he averaged 17.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while leading the school to a 32-3 overall record. Potter, who made more than half his field-goal attempts (55.8%) and 76.8% of his shots at the free-throw line as a senior, landed on The Courier Journal’s Kentucky All-State boys basketball first team thanks to his superlative efforts during the 2022-23 KHSAA season.
Jayden Quaintance
TEMPE, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 01: Jayden Quaintance #21 of the Arizona State Sun Devils drives to the basket against Henri Veesaar #13 of the Arizona Wildcats during the second half at Desert Financial Arena on February 01, 2025 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
Jayden Quaintance, a 17-year-old forward who spent this past season at Arizona State as college basketball’s youngest player, committed to UK on April 8. But it’s not the first time he’s cast his lot with the Wildcats. He previously had joined the program when John Calipari still guided the ship. But once the former coach left for Arkansas, so did Quaintance, who asked for, and was given, a release from his national letter of intent last year. He found a new home at Arizona State, where he averaged 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per outing in 24 games. Quaintance’s season ended prematurely, as he injured his knee in a win at Kansas State in February and did not play another game for ASU. Even so, his efforts were noteworthy enough to be honored by Big 12 head coaches, as they bestowed upon Quaintance a pair of all-conference honors: all-defensive and all-freshman teams. Bandied about as a potential top-five pick in the 2026 draft, Quaintance will be a sophomore next season.
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Pope on Quaintance: “Jayden is a 17-year-old phenom who is as explosive as he is skilled, and he is just scratching the surface of what he’s going to become in this game. He’s an incredibly bright kid who is already postering anyone in Big Blue Nation in a game of chess and he and his family couldn’t be more excited to finally get to wear the Blue and White.”
Kam Williams
Mar 15, 2025; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Memphis Tigers guard Colby Rogers (3) controls the ball as Tulane Green Wave guard Kam Williams (3) defends during the first half at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images
Kam Williams became UK’s first transfer commitment for the 2025-26 squad while the team was still alive in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Hours before Kentucky tangled with Tennessee in a Sweet 16 matchup, Williams gave his pledge to the Wildcats. A 6-foot-8, 190-pound wing, Williams averaged 9.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1 block per game for Tulane during the 2024-25 campaign. An All-American Athletic Conference Freshman Team selection, Williams will be a sophomore next season.
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Pope on Williams: “Kam is a beautiful kid who is not only an elite-level shooter but also an elite 1-through-4 defender. He has a ton of gravity to his game and has untapped athleticism that is going to make his ceiling really high.”
Kentucky basketball outgoing transfers
Kerr Kriisa
Nov 26, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Kerr Kriisa (77) talks with a referee during the first half against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
Kerr Kriisa, who entered the portal March 31, had few opportunities to showcase his talent for Kentucky. That’s because he appeared in only nine games, none after Dec. 7. A foot injury wiped away most of his 2024-25 season. Though the native of Estonia tried rehabbing the injury for three months, Pope said March 6 that Kriisa would not return before the season concluded. Two weeks later, Kriisa admitted his future was unclear, whether that entailed a sixth college season (at Kentucky or elsewhere) or heading back overseas to begin his professional career. Kriisa averaged 4.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game for the Wildcats; his assist average ranked second on the team, trailing Butler (4.3). He announced April 6 on his personal Instagram account that he had committed to Cincinnati.
Travis Perry
Mar 21, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Travis Perry (11) drives to the hoop past Troy Trojans forward Thomas Dowd (1) and guard Marcus Rigsby Jr. (2) during the first half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
Travis Perry arrived in Lexington last year as a well-known commodity in the Bluegrass State. That’s what happens when you score more points than any high school player in the state’s proud history: 5,481 in all, surpassing the mark held by the legendary “King” Kelly Coleman (4,337) since the 1950s. Perry’s point total is the seventh most in the history of U.S. high school basketball, per the MaxPreps National High School Basketball Record Book. He also owns state records for 3-pointers made (712), field goals made (1,918), free throws made (933) and steals (650). As a senior, Perry led Lyon County to a state title in March 2024, pouring in 27 points in the UK HealthCare Sweet 16 championship game at Rupp Arena; not surprisingly, Perry was named the Sweet 16’s MVP. Yet all his high school success meant little during his lone campaign at UK. Though he appeared in 31 games, with four starts, Perry ended the 2024-25 campaign averaging 2.7 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 9.7 minutes per outing. He entered the transfer portal April 22, only hours before it closed. Perry found his new school May 4. And it’s a rival SEC school: He will play for Ole Miss next season.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky basketball news: Mark Pope 2025-26 portal roster update
