Via nj.com
We have entered the month of May and coaches are trying to finalize their rosters as we head into the 2023 season. For Kentucky, there are still a lot of question marks regarding who will even be on next season’s roster. Here is where we stand as of the first week of May.
Lance Ware Goes Portaling
Big man Lance Ware has entered his name into the transfer portal after three rollercoaster seasons at Kentucky.
All love 💙💙🫡 pic.twitter.com/S4oWd1EMGO
— lance (@lanceware55) May 4, 2023
Ware came to Kentucky as a four-star recruit and scratched and clawed for every minute he got. The junior averaged less than 10 minutes and two points per game in his time at Kentucky, yet he was always considered to be a locker room favorite and wonderful teammate.
His role was undefined for most of his time in Lexington, and it wasn’t looking much clearer as he headed into his senior season with Ugonna Onyenso back and five-star freshman Aaron Bradshaw entering the fray. Ware deserves to transfer elsewhere and get meaningful minutes. He will be dearly missed at Kentucky.
Hunter Dickinson Chooses Kansas Over Kentucky and Others
When news came out that Michigan’s All-American big man, Hunter Dickinson, was looking to transfer, most thought that he would be the likely replacement for Oscar Tshiebwe as he takes his talents to the NBA. However, on May 4, Dickinson opted to attend the University of Kansas to finish out his collegiate career.
— Hunter Dickinson (@H_Dickinson24) May 4, 2023
This doesn’t come as a massive surprise as the momentum had been leaning that way for a while and Kansas had a massive hole at center, but it does leave Kentucky in an odd predicament. Now, Kentucky only has two scholarship big men following the departure of Lance Ware.
Oscar Tshiebwe’s name is still entered in the NBA Draft. He does have the ability to pull his name out and return to Kentucky for another season. With Dickinson off the board to Kansas, John Calipari will likely ramp up the recruitment to get the former National Player of the Year back in Lexington for another season. It seems more likely now than it did when he first declared for the draft.
Another option would be to snatch someone from the transfer portal. You won’t find a player the caliber of Hunter Dickinson in the portal right now, but there are plenty of good options if they want a backup big man to eat minutes.
Ultimately, it is do-or-die time for John Calipari and the rest of his staff to fill out the rest of this roster with the best talent available as they head into a pressure-packed 2023 season.
John Welch Joins Calipari’s Staff
John Welch, an NBA coaching veteran, and father of former Kentucky walk-on Riley Welch is set to join John Calipari’s staff for the 2023 season.
Welch has spent nearly 20 years coaching in the NBA with five different organizations. He has spent time working with basketball legends George Karl, Jerry West, and Jerry Tarkanian.
I really like Kentucky’s hire of John Welch.
One of the greatest GMs in NBA history, Jerry West, gave Welch his first NBA assistant opportunity at Memphis.
He continued on to work under Hall of Famers Jerry Tarkanian, Hubie Brown, and George Karl as well.
Hell of a resume.
— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) May 4, 2023
This is a tremendous hire as Kentucky had a massive spot to fill on its staff. Welch brings great experience and an abundance of knowledge in the X’s and O’s of the game of basketball.
For more NCAA content, check out the links below
Kentucky Basketball Roundup: Coaching Hire, More Portal News, Could Oscar Tshiewbe Return?
Kentucky Basketball Roundup: The Transfer Portal Predicament
Kentucky Basketball Roundup: A Surprise Return, More NBA Decisions
