Monday, December 9, 2024

Kentucky basketball recruiting: Andrew Carr’s commitment caps big weekend as Mark Pope’s transfer haul grows

Kentucky basketball recruiting: Andrew Carr’s commitment caps big weekend as Mark Pope’s transfer haul grows
NCAA Basketball: Wake Forest at Virginia Tech
USATSI

Kentucky landed a commitment from highly coveted Wake Forest transfer Andrew Carr on Sunday to cap a big weekend in the portal for first-year coach Mark Pope. Carr, who is No. 77 in the CBS Sports Transfer Rankings, is in line to start at power forward for the Wildcats in 2024-25 as he uses his fifth and final season of eligibility. 

The 6-foot-9 veteran played two seasons at Delaware before logging 68 starts for the Demon Deacons the past two years. Carr averaged a career-best 13.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in 2023-24 while knocking down 37.1% of his 3-pointers.

His commitment came one day after the commitment of former Oklahoma guard Otega Oweh and two days after the Wildcats landed a pledge from former San Diego State guard Lamont Butler. All three are highly regarded veterans, and more impact additions could be coming soon.  

Utah State transfer and top UK target Great Osobor visited campus over the weekend, and ex-Dayton 3-point specialist Koby Brea is expected on campus Tuesday. The caliber of player Pope is attracting should assuage some of the fears UK fans may have initially harbored about Pope’s recruiting ability as he took over at his alma mater following stints at Utah Valley and BYU.

Carr is the type of versatile veteran that should fit well in Pope’s offensive philosophy. He’s both efficient at the rim and solid from beyond the arc. With no players expected to return from UK’s 2023-24 roster amid John Calipari’s departure for Arkansas, Pope is building from scratch. And he appears to have a type.

All four of his committed transfers are veterans from teams that won at least 20 games last season. Kentucky transfer targets Osobor and Brea would also fit that mold. If any of Pope’s former BYU players transfer to Kentucky, they would meet that criteria as well.

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