Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope usually takes an aggressive approach when recruiting players for his program. This year, however, Pope hasn’t had the best time adding players to his roster, missing out on several key targets.
He recently lost another top prospect to Will Wade’s LSU Tigers. Abdi Bashir Jr, who last played for the Kansas State Wildcats, was on Kentucky’s list of targets, but committed to the LSU Tigers earlier today. Bashir averaged 13.2 points last season, shooting 44.4% from 3-point range.
It’s a huge loss for Pope and the Wildcats, who are already struggling to sign players this year.
Pope recently had a Zoom meeting with Milan Momcilovic, a 6’8″ power forward who possesses incredible shooting skills. Last season, he averaged 16.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game while shooting 48.7% from the 3-point line.
However, Momcilovic declared for the NBA Draft, which makes Pope’s job harder. If he wishes to sign him, he will have to convince the forward to put his NBA dreams on hold for now.
There is a possibility that Momcilovic will end up playing another year of college basketball, as he is keeping his options open for now.
Mark Pope on International Scouting
Pope has an effective system that helps in his recruitment process. His specialty in bringing international talent is highly revered. The veteran head coach recently spoke on how he scouts talent outside the USA.
“So we go by film, we go by analytics, we go by league, especially how it incorporates in the SEC cause there’s so many different levels of league. We evaluate age and trajectory. We have innumerable contacts in the states, in the NBA, and in the Euro League that we can go to for references to get feedback on players,” he said.
The most important thing for Pope is watching the players live. He believes that personal interaction is the ultimate difference maker in these cases.
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