Knowing that Donnie Freeman committed to play for Rick Pitino at Saint John’s last night, Big Blue Nation is quite irritated this morning. Sebastian Rancik, the Wildcats’ backup plan at the four, was also lost, so the staff had to start over from scratch.
Big Blue Nation is worried about the power forward position because most of the elite players at the position has left and the transfer portal is now closed. Kentucky’s current alternatives are to either acquire a European talent or take a chance on two players from lower-level Division 1 and hope they make significant progress in the SEC.
A power forward from James Madison who has put up some great numbers this year, will be visiting the school today. McBride shot 49% from the field and 40% from three, averaging 15.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. If Pope were to acquire the gifted forward, it would be intriguing to see where he would play McBride because he is rather undersized at 6’7.”
Given that these players can handle the ball, pass, shoot, and rebound, Pope might try to recruit a European forward. Andrija Jelavic showed signs of being a unique player last year, so Pope might be able to discover a guy similar to Jelavic who is little more polished.
There aren’t many players remaining at the power forward position like Freeman, who was ranked in the top 20 on the platform. Coach Pope will undoubtedly be able to acquire some guys to give Kentucky a strong frontcourt, but I’m not sure if he will be able to find the player to elevate this squad. I’m worried about it right now, so Coach Pope needs to find a solution.
Pope may possibly be able to acquire a player who has withdrawn from the NBA Draft, but even in that case, it will depend entirely on luck. Coach Pope and the crew have not had success with this portal cycle, but there is still time to turn things around by bringing in a top European power. If Pope tries this, it won’t function unless he finds the correct fit. The days ahead will be crucial.
