There was a lot of excitement going into the week, as Mark Pope and Kentucky’s coaching staff had several key visits lined up. One of the most notable was with BYU point guard Rob Wright III. The point guard position had been a major focus this offseason, with Pope looking to address an issue that has persisted throughout his tenure.
Before Wright’s visit, many believed Kentucky was in a strong position to secure one of the top five players in the transfer portal. However, the visit didn’t appear to go as planned. The earlier optimism about Kentucky’s chances faded, and Wright III has now reached a decision.
Wright III will be pulling his name out of the transfer portal and returning to BYU for another season. Wright III will play alongside former Kentucky guard Collin Chandler, who recently announced that he will be heading home to play for the Cougars.
There is no way to sugarcoat the staff missing on Wright III. He is an elite player, and the Wildcats were the frontrunners to land him. He gets on campus, and Pope and the staff aren’t able to get the job done, and now the search for a point guard continues.
Zoom Diallo is the name to watch now for Kentucky. The Washington point guard was on campus for a visit this weekend, where Coach Pope took him to Keeneland. It sounds like Diallo wanted to come in and be the main guy at point guard, and this is why he didn’t commit on his visit.
Now that Wright III will not be playing at Kentucky, there is a world where Diallo could commit soon, and he is still a very talented player. While fans might lean in the direction of Wright III as who they would have wanted, Diallo is capable of coming into Lexington and putting up really impressive numbers in the Pope system.
All eyes now turn to Diallo, and if he does not pick to play at Kentucky in the next day or so, things could look very concerning for Pope and the Wildcats. There are still some good point guards in the portal, but Wright III and Diallo have been the main targets for a while. Pope and all of Big Blue Nation are really hoping Diallo picks the Wildcats soon, or things could get scary.
