St. John’s picked up a major W in the transfer portal as Donnie Freeman announced his decision to join them over all other options on the table.
The former Syracuse man was ranked sixth overall in his recruiting class and was the Orange’s highest-ranked recruit since 2012, but with injuries disrupting his run, a move in the transfer portal seemed inevitable.
Mark Pope and Kentucky have been trying hard to recruit the forward, but in the crazy world of the portal, it has once again been proven that it’s the player who holds all the cards in the end.
With a hefty NIL package, Donnie Freeman announced that St. John’s was his destination, with former teammate Kiyan Anthony among those chiming in with their approval of the move.
But perhaps the bigger takeaway is that Mark Pope was unable to convince the 20-year-old to choose the Wildcats over St. John’s, and it wasn’t just the NIL money that decided where Freeman ends up.
The ever-reliable Jeff Goodman reported that it was the pull of legendary basketball coach Rick Pitino that ultimately tilted the decision in favor of St. John’s.
“He wanted a guy that would coach him hard, and wanted someone who had coached pros,” Goodman quoted a source as saying, which would come as frustration for Pope, who’s considered one of the top coaches in college basketball himself.
Mark Pope Under Fire After Another Missed Opportunity
The pressure is heating up on Mark Pope, who was already on the back foot after failing to secure Rob Wright III, who chose to return to BYU instead of moving to the Wildcats.
And critics are taking notice, with well-known Kentucky insider Matt Jones making his feelings clear about the missed opportunity.
With the pressure high and expectations higher, Kentucky needs to get its head back in the game and push on with the right strategy to ensure the transfer portal doesn’t turn out to be a bust, as Pope’s job may end up on the line if he can’t attract the right recruits.
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