Kentucky's Mark Pope has found a new point guard target in the transfer portal

Point guard is going to be one of the most important positions for Mark Pope and the coaching staff to address in the transfer portal this offseason. With the portal opening today, Coach Pope has already been in touch with LSU point guard Dedan Thomas Jr., and they are planning a Zoom call.

Now Pope has a new target in the portal, and that is former Washington point guard Zoom Diallo. In his sophomore season this year for the Huskies in the Big Ten, he averaged 15.7 points, 4.5 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game. Diallo shot 48.9% from the field and 31.5% from three. Diallo is not known as an elite shooter as he only shoots 2.2 threes per game.

Why is no one talking about Zoom Diallo? pic.twitter.com/NnN8NLxtgA
— Kevin Thomas (@KevoPosts) April 7, 2026

The good news about Diallo is that he has stayed healthy during his two-year college career. This year, he played in all 33 games for the Huskies and played in 31 games during his freshman season. Health at the point guard position has been a big struggle for Kentucky during the Pope era, so hopefully, if Diallo picks the Wildcats, this won’t be an issue.

Another exciting part about Diallo is the fact that he is 6’4. Jaland Lowe was only 6’1, and it just seems that having a bigger point guard is a good thing for Coach Pope. At 6’4, Diallo is also a very solid defender with a defensive rating of 1.38 this season. Having elite offensive players who can hold their own on the defensive side of the floor is a big plus in the Pope offense.

Mar 12, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell (25) defends Washington Huskies guard Zoom Diallo (5) during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

The Kentucky staff is looking to set up a Zoom call with Diallo, and it sounds like the staff does have a ton of interest in the Washington transfer. Over his two seasons at Washington, Diallo proved that he can be a scorer over multiple seasons, so he shouldn’t have any issue translating over to the SEC.

It is also great that Diallo has multiple years left of eligibility, so if he does end up in Lexington and has a good year, the Wildcats will have a superstar point guard back for the 2027-28 season. This is a big fish Coach Pope is after in the transfer portal as Diallo would immediately come in and fix the issues Kentucky has had at point guard. Hopefully if the zoom meeting goes well the staff will be able to get Diallo on campus for a visit.