This quote on Donnie Freeman's decision to pick St. John's will frustrate Kentucky fans

Mark Pope was outdueled by his old coach for Donnie Freeman.

Dec 20, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope on the sideline against the St. John Red Storm in the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

For the last few days, Mark Pope and the Kentucky coaching staff have been in a really good spot for Syracuse transfer forward Donnie Freeman, but this morning, things started to swing in the direction of St. John’s. The visit to Lexington for Freeman was days ago, and since that visit, BBN and the staff felt they were in a good spot for the elite PF.

The problem with missing on Freeman is that now Kentucky’s backup option, Sebastian Rancik, has committed to Florida State. There are a few power forwards like Justin McBride that Kentucky is still in touch with, but Freeman was going to be the guy for Pope, and Rick Pitino came in and took him at the last second.

Mar 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Syracuse Orange forward Donnie Freeman (1) with the ball as Southern Methodist University Mustangs guard Boopie Miller (2) defends in the first half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68 put up some very interesting notes after Freeman picked St. John’s. Goodman said a source told him that Freeman's wanting to play for Pitino was a massive factor in his picking the Red Storm over Pope and the Wildcats.

Here was the quote Goodman posted about Freeman’s decision to play for Pitino: "He wanted a guy that would coach him hard, and wanted someone who had coached pros."

Source told @thefieldof68 that a huge factor in Donnie Freeman choosing St. John's over Kentucky was Rick Pitino.

"He wanted a guy that would coach him hard, and wanted someone who had coached pros."

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 21, 2026

The reports after Freeman’s visit to Lexington made it seem like the visit went well, and Freeman liked Pope, but his entire camp seemed to want him to head elsewhere. While Big Blue Nation might scratch its head, Coach Pope is gaining a track record of missing on players. Whether in high school or the transfer portal, it is hard to believe that the Wildcats head coach will win these recruiting battles.

The last elite player that Kentucky is in touch with is Tyran Stokes, the #1 player in the 2026 recruiting class, but it is hard for Kentucky fans to have any kind of confidence that Pope will be able to land him over Kansas or Oregon after this whiff on Freeman.

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope reacts to a play during the first half against the Iowa State Cyclones during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

With Freeman off the market, Kentucky will have to go back to the drawing board to try to find some power forwards in the transfer portal. The Wildcats don’t currently have a power forward on the roster, and while a player like McBride from JMU would be a great backup option, he isn’t the starter that will make Kentucky a top ten team.

Pope has to make some moves if the Wildcats are going to be good next season, but Big Blue Nation is losing faith quickly in Pope’s ability to land elite talent.