Kentucky makes top six for talented guard in the transfer portal

Mark Pope is getting after another talented player in the portal.

The Kentucky Wildcats are looking for guards in the transfer portal who fit in Coach Mark Pope's system, and this guy makes a ton of sense. 

The Kentucky staff reached out to former Villanova guard TJ Bamba after averaging 10.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game last season. The season before at Villanova, Bamba averaged 15.1 points per game. 

He is a really good shooter who shot 36.9% for the Villanova Wildcats from deep this season. He is also a bigger guard at 6'5, which helps him get to the rim. Bamba also shot 82.4% from the free-throw line, which is an incredible number. That will help in late game situations if Bamba picks Kentucky. 

He recently put out his list top of six schools, which included Florida, Oregon, Louisville, Stanford, Memphis, and Kentucky. 

The key now for Coach Pope's coaching staff will be to get Bamba on campus for a visit. It sounds like Bamba is winding down his recruitment now that he is focusing on six schools, so get him on campus as soon as possible. 

Bamba has played a lot of college basketball, which is another thing that makes him desirable to college coaches. Kentucky's roster during the 2024-25 season is going to be really old, which should get Big Blue Nation excited. 

Last season, the Wildcats were too young, and this led to an early exit from the NCAA Tournament. 

Coach Pope will make sure that his first roster as the head coach at Kentucky will be full of veterans. Bamba is a name to remember as the roster for this upcoming season comes together.