For the Kentucky Wildcats and head coach Mark Pope, it’s time to move past the last week or so and focus on the future.
Pope is keeping one foot in front of the other, and the rest of BBN should too, despite a few… swings and misses… on blue-chip prospects in the transfer portal and coming out of high school.
The Wildcats made an offer a five-star shooting guard in an attempt to get him to move from his home-state teams to the wonderful state of Kentucky.
According to 247Sports, Page has only earned four offers for the class of 2027 since Kentucky entered the competition. His recruitment has so far been limited to the East Coast, with offers from the NC State Wolfpack, UNC Tar Heels, and Georgetown Hoyas.
The Wildcats and Pope want to alter that.
Whether it’s the Duke Blue Devils in Durham, the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, the Wolfpack in Raleigh (his hometown), or the Wake Forest Deacons in Winston-Salem, Page most certainly grew up a fan of one of the teams in the state where he lives.
Pope is making the proper decision by entering the race early in an attempt to get Page’s pledge, even if the Wildcats’ home in Lexington is further away from home.
The youthful shooting guard was a complete threat on both ends of the floor during his junior season, averaging 23.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.
After losing out on several prospects and transfers this offseason, Page is just the kind of player Kentucky hopes to recruit.
Pope needs to perform far better with Kentucky’s class of 2027, from which he has not yet received a pledge, after finishing in the No. 90 (yes, ninety) class of 2026. Unquestionably, a player like Page would put him in a position to do just that.
