Transfers

Jaxon Robinson, Kentucky, Grad- Jaxon followed Pope to UK after considering a jump to the NBA. He projects to start for the Wildcats and brings over some continuity for Pope, helping his cause to be a key fixture. Jaxon will look to expand his abilities with the ball in his hands and also his defensive effort. He hopes to put together a strong finish to his collegiate career as he looks towards a pro career at the conclusion of the season.

Marcus Adams Jr., Cal State Northridge, Sophmore- A player that will be easy to root for, Marcus had a very tumultuous start to his collegiate career. A 4-star recruit originally committed to Kansas, he flipped to Gonzaga and then finally to BYU within the matter of months. He struggled with nagging injuries while at BYU and didn't see the floor outside of a few minutes of garbage time in a single game. But the hardest part of the season surely was the passing of his father midway through the season. He ended up electing to attend Cal State Northridge to be closer to family following the tragedy.

CSUN is a program that has historically struggled to be competitive even in conference. The good news for Marcus is the team just had it's best season in years as it brought in coach Andy Newman (no relation to Randy), which included a stunning win over UCLA and 19 wins overall. Marcus is a massive get for them, and he looks to be in great health from recent clips I've seen. Marcus has a strong chance to be a starter for the team and maybe even a focal point of their offense.

Noah Waterman, Louisville, Grad- While it was sad to see Noah leave the program, his story and growth during his time at BYU makes it easy to root for his continued success. I'm not sure how much higher Noah's ceiling is, but his massive jump from year 1 to year 2 in the program shows he may surprise with more upside. I expect him to be a dependable contributor for a Louisville team with a wide range of outcomes after they flipped the entire roster and replaced the coaching staff.

He should get a strong look to start as every team needs shooting and size, and he has proven to be a quality defender as well.

Note: Aly Khalifa is also on the team, but will not be playing this year as he recovers from injury.

Atiki Ally Atiki, New Mexico, Senior- The Lobos bring in the bruiser Atiki for his senior season. I think we all know what Atiki is at this point. He should provide some defensive depth for a quality New Mexico program.

Past Season Transfers

Caleb Lohner, Utah (football), Senior- You wont find many paths more winding than Lohner's. Committed to Utah, flipped to BYU, transferred to Baylor, then transferred to Utah... for football. It's too bad he can't go back in time and reset with a focus on football for all those years instead of basketball. I'd be really intrigued to see what he could be with his size and a good bit more skill on the gridiron. Heck, even as is, he has caught a couple touchdown passes.

Hunter Erickson, Utah, 5th year Senior- Hunter transferred out of BYU after 2 seasons of little action to SLCC, a respectible JUCO program. He ended up at Utah, and is still with the team for a final year. He was a quality depth piece for them last year, and should continue to be so for a team that lost it's best players from last season and is expected to finish at the bottom of the Big 12.

Tanner Toolson, Utah Valley, RS Sophmore- Tanner proved servicable at Utah Valley, but his efficiency was not good enough. Below 36% from the field and below 29% from 3 is not gonna cut it. We will see if he can make improvements in year 2 with the Wolverines.

Braeden Moore, Oral Roberts, RS Sophmore- Braeden Moore, who was with the 22-23 team as a redshirt freshman, is entering his 2nd year with Oral Roberts. He played sparingly last season. I'm unsure if he is expected to be a contributor this year.

Tanner Hayhurst, College of Southern Idaho (JUCO), RS Sophmore- The walk-on elected to return to the JUCO ranks to receive more playing time. He has already reportedly received interest from multiple low major D1 programs, and should have an opportunity to find a D1 team that can offer him a playing role next season.

Paora Winitana, Arizona Western (JUCO), RS Freshman- Walk-on from 21-22 season, he is back from a mission and is alos going the JUCO route. Solid frame. See if he has enough skills to move up after a transition year or two.

Coaches-

Mark Pope, Head coach, Kentucky- You all know about this one.

Cody Fueger, Assistant coach, Kentucky- Followed Pope to Kentucky.

Nick Robinson, Director of Basketball Ops, Kentucky- Also followed Pope.

Kahil Fennell, Head coach, UT Rio Grande Valley- Kahil takes on the head coaching job at UTRGV. This is a very tough place to win. If he is able to improve the program in any measurable way, it will be a success.

Melvin Goins, Assistant coach, Texas Weslyan- Melvin makes the jump from D1 grad assistant to D2 assistant coach

Carsen Williams, Head Coach, Pleasant Grove High school- Carsen makes the move from D1 grad assistant to High school head coach (per his instagram Bio).