John Calipari explains why he targeted Tre Mitchell in transfer portal

Like an oasis in the desert, West Virginia transfer Tre Mitchell became available late in June, who the very needy Kentucky Wildcats immediately pursued.

Over the weekend, UK hosted the rising fifth-year forward for a visit that apparently won’t be ending, as Mitchell announced his commitment to the ‘Cats on Monday afternoon to give all of the Big Blue Nation a thrilling start to the work week.

Within minutes of Mitchell’s announcement, Kentucky head coach John Calipari fired off a tweet praising the new addition and explained what he brings to the table for this extremely young upcoming 2023-24 team. Here was that tweet:

“Tre is from Pittsburgh and I’ve known him for years. This was a unique situation, but as soon as he put his name in the portal, he was a player I knew we needed to pursue. He brings leadership, experience, size and versatility and is a great fit for what we want to do. I know this is a win for us and I believe this will be a win for him too. We are excited to have him as a part of our program.”

Mitchell really is the older forward and true four man Kentucky has yearned for since the portal opened this spring. They tried desperately to nab one with a hard charge for San Diego State’s Keshad Johnson, who ultimately landed at Arizona; and they also reached out to Alabama-bound Grant Nelson, as well as Arthur Kaluma, a two-year starter at power forward for Creighton.

The forward spot was a clear area of need and Kentucky and the new addition had to have experience, decent three-point shooting, and proven pedigree. Welp, Tre Mitchell suffices in each of those departments.

The only thing that’s missing is some strength and toughness. Like the rest of Kentucky’s roster, Mitchell is quite skinny for his height and position and really doesn’t provide the physicality UK needs without its veteran forwards from a year ago. Down low, you’re looking at a very light (but lengthy) Aaron Bradshaw, a slender seven-footer in Ugonna Onyenso, and then Mitchell. There’s rumors a big-bodied physical freak may reclass and join the UK roster down the line, but you can’t rely on a fairly unknown freshman to come in and set the tone from a toughness standpoint.

Overall, the Mitchell add-on is tremendous and fills many needs in just one move, but the lack of physicality down low is something to monitor with this UK club.