2026-2027 Roster discussion thread

[Pete Hogwallop]

On the internet, believe it or not.

You bored today? Go play detective somewhere else.

I get that you don't want to say, however, I mainly wanted to figure out if it was one of the talking heads so I could make sure I never saw anything else they wrote again ever.

[Rondo#9]

Well where did you find it if you don't know who wrote it?

On the internet, believe it or not.

You bored today? Go play detective somewhere else.

[Pete Hogwallop]

Ashley Judd's burner account for all I know.

I just said it was interesting, never said I took it as gospel.

Well where did you find it if you don't know who wrote it?

[UKHoops01]

Honestly, I thought there was a good chance Freeman was coming to Kentucky..... until UCONN and Bama cancelled/were off the table....AND HE IMMEDIATELY ADDED ST. JOHN'S AND (I THINK) LOUISVILLE!!! At that point Pope should have immediately made Rancik a priority and viewed Freeman as a "You can come if you want, but you're no longer a priority... we're done here" option.

[Rondo#9]

"Everyone in the basketball world knew Freeman wasn't going to be allowed to come to Kentucky..."

News to me and takes away all credibility from the rest of the comment.

Who wrote it?

Ashley Judd's burner account for all I know.

I just said it was interesting, never said I took it as gospel.

[UKHoops01]

We had better add more.

Fixed it for you.

[WeWant9]

Got it. I misunderstood.

No worries, I should have said "currently everyone for next year"

[Pete Hogwallop]

Well, yeah, that's why I said lots of PT still out there.

Got it. I misunderstood.

[UKHoops01]

I think the problem Pope is having is he thinks "the brand" (UK) will sell itself when truth is, these kids today want to play for THE COACH just as much if not more than for university! And Pope hasn't won titles and doesn't have a track record of developing pros. Yet, he's shooting for the moon and going for some big names (Freeman) over better fits (Rancik) because he's trying to prove that he can land the big fish!

I think he'd be better served going after the best second tier players that he can once the top dog doesn't bite immediately. I knew with Freeman that once UCONN and Bama were cancelled/off the table and yet Freeman STILL wanted to plan more visits that he wasn't coming to Kentucky. At that point Pope should have immediately contacted Rancik and said the PF spot is yours, and then went back and told Donnie "we're bringing in Rancik, you can still come if you'd like but we're not changing anything or prioritizing anything to accommodate you".

[WeWant9]

We can still add more.

Well, yeah, that's why I said lots of PT still out there.

[Pete Hogwallop]

I believe below is everyone for next year. A lot of PT out there for the taking.

Zoom Diallo
Alex Wilkins
Mason Williams
Kam Williams
Trent Noah
Braydon Hawthorne
Malachi Moreno
Reece Potter

We can still add more.

[Pete Hogwallop]

"Everyone in the basketball world knew Freeman wasn't going to be allowed to come to Kentucky..."

News to me and takes away all credibility from the rest of the comment.

Who wrote it?

[Rondo#9]

Interesting comment. Not mine.
Not sure which thread to put it in.


" I'm not that upset about losing Freeman.


But I am tired of being embarrassed. Everyone in the basketball world knew that Freeman wasn't going to be allowed to come to Kentucky. Including AAU coaches 1000 miles away. If Pope did know that and thought The Brand would win out he's a fool. If he didn't know that and walked into a mine field unknowingly then I think it's time rip the band-aid off.


Pope can still salvage this but the evidence is mounting that he just isn't built for this job. He can coach basketball but navigating the CBB landscape is overwhelming him. He also isn't getting any help from his own administration. In order to defend against a story they knew would embarrass them they leaked the $22m number to make it look like they spend. It was an albatross that hung around his neck all season and he couldn't refute it because his bosses put it out there.


Then in order to deflect from them costing him a recruit (Collins) they leaked that said recruit had a problem with fans (and his mother did have old Facebook posts and Tweets but most of them were not attacks of players but rather political posts that guys like Muss, Oats, and Golden give to families).


Then instead of addressing fan concerns about JMI deals and Golden Parachutes (which sounds like a sex act) they ran to The Athletic and bragged about how much money they were making. To the point that the writer felt comfortable posting that they had "Scrooge McDuck money". Not only did they not provide any tangible numbers that were reported other than hopeful projections they slapped their own back and told the whole world that they had even more money than the season prior.


The kicker is they won't let the guy hire a GM. Matt Jones slyly let it slip earlier where he said Pope had a 3rd party negotiate deals last year but JMI brought it back in their house this year. They are the GM but aren't providing someone who is living in that world and only negotiating once the guy is at the table.


If it isn't obvious already, we're Indiana behind the scenes. We're run not to win or to compete, but to line the pockets of those on the way out. Mark Pope is going to be the one fired for it, but he shouldn't be alone."

[WeWant9]

I believe below is everyone for next year. A lot of PT out there for the taking.

Zoom Diallo
Alex Wilkins
Mason Williams
Kam Williams
Trent Noah
Braydon Hawthorne
Malachi Moreno
Reece Potter

[Matt Dillon]

Folks it's (Donovan) not happening. Like it or not Mark Pope will be our coach next season.