After Kentucky and head coach Mark Pope were knocked out in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, it’s expected that most of the team’s starters have played their final college games.
Since then, Pope has been active in the transfer portal. On Monday, he picked up his third commitment.
Looking to replace departing guard Lamont Butler, Pope quickly added Tulane’s Kam Williams during the second weekend of March Madness. He followed that up by securing Pittsburgh guard Jaland Lowe on Saturday.
Still in need of a forward, Pope turned to a familiar conference rival.
According to Joe Tipton of On3, Kentucky landed Alabama transfer Mouhamed Dioubate on Monday.
“BREAKING: Alabama transfer forward Mouhamed Dioubate has committed to Kentucky, he told @On3sports,” Tipton posted on X. “The 6-7 sophomore averaged 7.2 points and 5.9 rebounds this season.”
https://twitter.com/TiptonEdits/status/1909372942955258039?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1909372942955258039%7Ctwgr%5Ee68e845971fda9c6a51ec0ce981b5964de61781b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fathlonsports.com%2Fcollege-basketball%2Fkentucky-mark-pope-gets-exciting-transfer-portal-news
Dioubate, a 6’7”, 215-pound forward from Queens, New York, was a four-star recruit in the 2023 class (247Sports), ranked No. 24 among power forwards and No. 104 overall. He didn’t play much during his freshman year, logging just 7.7 minutes per game. But after a full offseason at Alabama, he saw an expanded role as a sophomore.
This past season, Dioubate’s minutes increased to 16.0 per game, where he averaged 7.2 points on 61.7% shooting and grabbed 5.9 rebounds. His top performance in the NCAA Tournament came in the opening round against Robert Morris, where he posted 18 points and 10 rebounds.
With a solid group of four-star recruits arriving in 2025, Pope may have the pieces to build a title-contending team for the 2025-26 season.
Be the first to comment