Kentucky Basketball’s Projected Starting Five for the 2024-2025 Season

Mark Pope has quickly made his mark as the new head coach of Kentucky basketball, effectively filling a significant gap in the team’s lineup through the transfer portal. He has successfully brought in nine players from various programs, including Jaxson Robinson from BYU, alongside a few promising recruits from the 2024 class: Collin Chandler, Trent Noah, and Travis Perry. Let’s take a closer look at the current roster and project the starting five along with the eight-man rotation.

The current roster is notably guard-heavy, which may lead to limited options in the frontcourt. Nonetheless, the big men on the team possess the capability to dominate in the paint. It’s essential to note that the listed positions reflect those on the official Kentucky Wildcats roster, though some guards may also be utilized as small forwards during gameplay.

Roster Breakdown

Guards:

• Otega Oweh, Junior (Transfer from Oklahoma)
• Lamont Butler, Graduate Student (Transfer from SDSU)
• Jaxson Robinson, Graduate Student (Transfer from BYU)
• Koby Brea, Graduate Student (Transfer from Dayton)
• Collin Chandler, Freshman
• Travis Perry, Freshman
• Grant Darbyshire, Junior
• Walker Horn, Junior
• Kerr Krissa, 5th Year Senior (Transfer from West Virginia)

Forwards:

• Ansley Almonor, Senior (Transfer from Fairleigh Dickinson)
• Andrew Carr, Graduate Student (Transfer from Wake Forest)
• Trent Noah, Freshman

Centers:

• Brandon Garrison, Sophomore (Transfer from Oklahoma State)
• Amari Williams, Graduate Student (Transfer from Drexel)

Projected Starting Lineup

C: Brandon Garrison
PF: Andrew Carr
SF: Jaxson Robinson
SG: Otega Oweh
PG: Kerr Krissa

Some choices are bold, with underclassmen edging out seasoned players for starting positions. However, this is the lineup I anticipate Coach Pope will unveil for the season opener. The substitution strategy could see:

• Amari Williams substituting for Brandon Garrison
• Ansley Almonor for Andrew Carr
• Koby Brea for Jaxson Robinson
• Collin Chandler for Otega Oweh
• Lamont Butler for Kerr Krissa, although I’m unsure if Butler won’t challenge Krissa for that starting spot.

While a ten-man rotation is not the norm in basketball—most coaches prefer around eight to ensure their best players are consistently on the court—I expect that all ten players will see significant action throughout the season, depending on the matchup and game circumstances.