Kentucky Basketball coach Mark Pope is raving about his latest player.
The forward is regarded as a quick striker. In just three seasons at Fairleigh Dickinson, he has already accumulated over 1,000 career points. Every year, Almonor’s three-point field goal percentage went up. Last season, he made 39 percent of his shots from beyond the arc, and Kentucky could definitely need that kind of output this next campaign. In 2024–2025, the Wildcats hope to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.
Kentucky’s rebuilding offseason
Since Mark Pope replaced John Calipari as head coach of Kentucky basketball this offseason, the program has been growing once more. Pope is adding experience and transfers to the Kentucky team’s squad. Several players from the portal have committed to play for the Wildcats in 2024–25, including Almonor.
Eight transfers from Kentucky have arrived in Lexington, and more are probably on the way. Four-star players Kerr Kriisa, Koby Brea, Andrew Carr, and Lamont Butler Jr. are in the class. According to 247 Sports, the Wildcats have one of the top 10 transfer classes in college basketball. Pope, who guided the BYU Cougars to the NCAA Tournament, is coming to Kentucky. competition during their inaugural Big 12 Conference season. Pope is a former basketball player for Kentucky who played for Rick Pitino’s 1996 team that won a national title.
Blue-chip freshmen prospects are no longer as important to Kentucky in their recruitment process as experience is. Under Calipari, Kentucky has had remarkable success acquiring one-and-done players. The Wildcats have only won one game over their last three NCAA tournament visits, though, because to their struggles. Calipari resigned this offseason to take a coaching job at Arkansas, defying the hopes of many fans who wanted a new coach and a clean slate. Calipari pulled in a number of Kentucky commitments, including high school sensation Boogie Fland.
How successfully the new Kentucky basketball roster gels together will be revealed in due course. Big Blue Nation is excited for the game between Kentucky and Arkansas, which will only take place once this season, as it was recently confirmed.
