Breaking: Kentucky now in to hijack another talented frontcourt Star

With BYU center Noah Waterman having registered on the NCAA transfer site on Monday, Kentucky might have an additional frontcourt option.

The Cougars head coach Mark Pope moved for Kentucky, therefore Waterman had 30 days after Pope’s departure to access the transfer site before it closed on May 1.

This season, as a senior, the 6-foot-11, 220-pound forward started all 33 games for BYU. He averaged 9.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 24.1 minutes per game, shooting 37% from three-point range. In 2022–23, Waterman played a junior year with the Cougars, starting 14 of 33 games and averaging 4.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 17.0 minutes.

Waterman, who started his collegiate career at Niagara, also played two seasons for Detroit-Mercy. Over his career, he has appeared in 102 games with 76 starts, averaging 8.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He is a 38.8% shooter from beyond the arc with 161 career three-pointers made.

Louisville, which has also added former BYU big man Aly Khalifa, is still looking for another big man and is expected to be in the mix.

Kentucky is hosting Fairleigh Dickinson transfer Ansley Almonor for an official visit starting Tuesday. The 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward, rated as a 3-star prospect and ranked No. 317 overall by 247Sports, entered the transfer portal on March 19.

As a junior this season, Almonor started 31 of 32 games for the Knights, leading the team with 16.4 points per game, along with 5.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists. He shot 43.6% from the floor and 39.4% from three-point range, making 93 three-pointers.

Ansley Almonor, a two-time All-Northeast Conference selection, played a pivotal role in leading Fairleigh Dickinson to an NCAA Tournament appearance last season. The Knights defeated Texas Southern in the First Four and then shocked No. 1 seed Purdue in the round of 64. As a sophomore last season, Almonor averaged 13.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists while shooting 38.1% from three-point range. Over the past two seasons, he has started 65 of 68 games for FDU and has a career three-point shooting percentage of 38.5% with 180 career makes.

Almonor has already taken an official visit to Pepperdine, and CatsPause.com reports that Siena is also in the mix. In addition to Almonor, Kentucky is actively recruiting North Florida transfer Chaz Lanier, BYU transfer Jaxson Robinson, and Miami transfer Wooga Poplar. These players have until May 29 to withdraw from the 2024 NBA Draft if they decide to return to college.

Kentucky’s current seven-man transfer class is ranked No. 5 nationally by 247Sports. The class includes No. 21 Brandon Garrison (Oklahoma State), No. 28 Otega Oweh (Oklahoma), No. 45 Lamont Butler (San Diego State), No. 66 Andrew Carr (Wake Forest), No. 81 Amari Williams (Drexel), No. 104 Koby Brea (Dayton), and No. 118 Kerr Kriisa (West Virginia).

Additionally, Kentucky signed former BYU signee Collin Chandler, who is returning from a two-year Mormon mission. They also added Kentucky Mr. Basketball, Travis Perry, the state’s all-time leading scorer and a 4-star guard from state champion Lyon County, as well as Harlan County 4-star and former South Carolina signee Trent Noah. This brings the Wildcats’ number of scholarship players to 10.

Right now, we have ten scholarships awarded. I need to add two really, really crucial items. The 13th scholarship is a component that floats. A young player might find a home there. A senior player who plans to take a redshirt year may be able to use it. It might serve as a project location. Something for a high-risk guy, perhaps? We’re working very hard to fill these final two positions. Right now, it is a top priority.”