This 7'5 Kentucky native could be a perfect backup five for Mark Pope

Mark Pope is looking for a backup center in the transfer portal.

Feb 8, 2026; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Southern California Trojans center Gabe Dynes (45) and Penn State Nittany Lions forward Josh Reed (10) fight for the ball during the second half at Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The plan at center next season for the Kentucky Wildcats will be the return of Malachi Moreno. Last season as a true freshman, Moreno averaged 7.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 58.2% from the field. Moreno wasn’t expected to have a big role as a freshman, but the Jayden Quaintance situation led to Moreno being the starting center for Mark Pope.

With his true freshman season over, Moreno has announced that he will be testing the NBA waters but will return to Kentucky if he pulls his name out of the draft. Everyone is expecting Moreno to pull his name out of the draft and be back in Lexington next season, where fans believe he will put up massive numbers.

Mar 13, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno (24) dunks the ball against the Florida Gators during the second half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

While Moreno will be the man in the middle for this team, Pope still needs to go get a player to back him up. The staff has looked at multiple backup fives, but a new name has come up, and it is a very interesting one.

USC center Gabe Dynes has entered the portal, and he is a 7’5 214-pound center who is also a Kentucky native from Independence. Last year for the Trojans, Dynes averaged 2.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, and one block per game as one of the backup centers.

This would be an interesting addition for Pope because I don’t think Dynes would be the type of player who could run the point-center role at a high level, but at 7’5, he would be able to protect the rim for the Wildcats. Despite being 7’5, his best rebound total was two seasons ago at Youngstown State, where he averaged 5.8 boards a game. It is still to be seen if he could be an elite rebounder in the SEC.

Feb 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Xavier Booker (1) and Southern California Trojans center Gabe Dynes (45) battle for a rebound during the 2nd half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Watching the film on Dynes from this season at USC, he does seem athletic for his size, which you don’t often see from a 7’5 player. He can block shots all over the floor and is a constant lob threat at his size. He can make some passes, but I wouldn’t call him a consistent passer.

Pope and the staff have reached out to Dynes, but we don’t know how serious the staff is about bringing in the 7’5 center. Knowing Moreno will likely play around 30 minutes per game this season, Dynes wouldn’t be a bad option to bring in off the bench to play about ten to 15 minutes per game.

7’4 Big Gabe Dynes had a standout performance tonight in his USC Debut.

9 Points
8 Rebounds
3 Assists
7 Blocks
4/6 FG

Dynes made his High Major debut where he showcased strong play on both ends protecting the rim at a high level and playing as a rebounder and dunking threat… pic.twitter.com/Gtq0gJ1it5

— KJ (@KJScouting) October 19, 2025