What Mark Pope is saying about his 2025 transfer portal additions
Wildcats officially announced four players signed from the portal
Mark Pope coaches on the sideline versus Tennessee in the Sweet Sixteen.
UK Athletics
LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW)- Head Coach Mark Pope is vying for more transfer portal talent as his rebuild continues after one season in charge of Kentucky men’s basketball.
Four players have officially signed with Kentucky thus far. Here’s what Pope has to say about each of them.
Jayden Quaintance- Sophomore Forward | Arizona State | Three Years of Eligibility
The former UK commit under John Calipari joins the program after being the youngest men’s college basketball player last season at Arizona State. Quaintance started in all 24 games he played in before a season-ending ACL injury. He averaged 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.
“Jayden is a 17-year-old phenom who is as explosive as he is skilled, and he is just scratching the surface of what he’s going to become in this game,” said Pope. “He’s an incredibly bright kid who is already postering anyone in Big Blue Nation in a game of chess and he and his family couldn’t be more excited to finally get to wear the Blue and White.”
Kam Williams- Sophomore Wing | Tulane | Three Years of Eligibility
A conference All-Freshman selection for the Green Wave this past season, Williams averaged 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in a season where he started most of the games he played in.
He shot just above 40% from the field and distance in New Orleans, where he also has 14 double-figure scoring performances.
“Kam is a beautiful kid who is not only an elite-level shooter but also an elite 1-through-4 defender. He has a ton of gravity to his game and has untapped athleticism that is going to make his ceiling really high,” said Pope.
Mouhamed Dioubate- Junior Forward | Alabama | Two Years of Eligibility
Dioubate was on the Alabama team that beat the Wildcats three times this past season. He was third on the Crimson Tide team in rebounds per game and second in total offensive grabs. Dioubate averaged 7.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game too.
“Mouhamed is a special young man who is a perfect fit for the way we play. He is a ballhandling, decision-making, physical, competitor. Mo can play and guard all five positions and has a presence as a point forward which makes him uniquely suited to play for us,” said Pope.
Jaland Lowe- Junior Guard | Pittsburgh | Two Years of Eligibility
As an All-Conference selection last season, Lowe started all 31 games for Pitt and averaged a team-high 16.8 points per game. He dished out five and a half assists on average too. He reached double figures 26 times last season.
“Jaland is an incredibly explosive, playmaking, veteran point guard,” said Pope. “He’s a great kid who has a tremendous work ethic and most importantly, loves this game and wants nothing more than to win.”
