Furman transfer is turning as a top target for Mark Pope as Kentucky Basketball works to rebuild its lineup.
Pope and Wilkins met over the weekend in South Carolina, according to Jacob Polacheck of KSR. The exceptional point guard is now hoping to travel to Kentucky later this week.
As a true freshman for the Paladins this past season, the 6-5, 175-pound Wilkins averaged 17.8 points, 4.7 assists, and 2.0 rebounds per game. He shot 32.8% from 3-point range on 5.7 tries per game, although he did make 15 of his last 30 shots, indicating that he was starting to develop into a knockdown shooter.
Wilkins scored 21 points on 8/15 shooting (4/8 from 3-point range) against UConn in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64, dishing up four assists for four turnovers. He is now ranked 42nd overall by 247 Sports and 28th overall by On3 on the transfer portal.
This recruiting fits into an intriguing theme that has surfaced early in Kentucky’s portal season: acquiring several point guards.
Initially, Kentucky explored the possibility of Dedan Thomas and Zoom Diallo performing together. Kentucky has proposed that Diallo and Rob Wright play together now that Thomas is moving to Houston.
Now that Wright is in Lexington and Diallo’s situation is unclear, it’s possible that Kentucky is considering Wilkins and Wright sharing a backcourt. If Wright and Diallo don’t work out, Wilkins might be Kentucky’s next target.
In any case, Kentucky is obviously leaving its options open for the backcourt of the upcoming season.
