Kentucky’s Mark Pope Makes Move on Five-Star Recruit
It is safe to say that Mark Pope has found his bearings returning to Lexington, Kentucky, as the head coach of the Wildcats. Although the Wildcats saw an exit in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, their offseason has been one of the best in all of college basketball.
As coaches across the country are pointing out, the transfer portal is where much of the work is being done to build rosters for the upcoming season. Still, recruiting remains an essential part of the process.
That’s exactly what Pope and his assistant coaches are focused on right now. One of the 247 Sports five-star recruits has recently been linked to the Wildcats.
Jacob Polacheck of Kentucky Sports Radio reported the latest recruiting news for the Wildcats, mentioning that Pope and Kentucky assistant coach Cody Fueger recently met with five-star Ikenna Alozie.
Alozie is from Glendale, Arizona, and plays his high school basketball at Dream City Christian. The 6-foot-2 guard has shown great athleticism and is being recruited by many of the top programs in the country
He received offers from Louisville, Michigan, Kentucky and Arizona toward the end of 2024.
The guard got off to a great start in the Elite Youth Basketball League, scoring 20 points in his debut over the weekend. The EYBL is designed for the best high school basketball players in the country. Its premier event, the Nike Peach Jam, is held in July and is invitation-only. Alozie is playing for the Utah Prospects.
One of the other names the Wildcats are working hard to land from the class of 2026 is Anthony Thompson from Ohio. He is ranked as the ninth-best player in the class by 247 Sports. Thompson received a visit from Pope on April 22
