4-Point Play: A major recruiting weekend for Mark Pope in Lexington

Mark Pope is officially cooking with gas, new scheduled visitors coming through Lexington by the hour at this point as Kentucky looks to build its first roster from the ground up with the new staff. Pope cast a wide net when he first arrived, contacting just about everybody in the transfer portal with high-major talent. That led to a whittle-down process, cutting out bad on- and off-court fits or guys with otherworldly asking prices — Pope talked about prioritizing players being here for the right reasons from the minute he arrived on campus.

After nailing down top options, it’s now time to secure and put together the ingredients for the “stew” he’s looking to cook as the next head coach at Kentucky.

“It’s going to be a very selective process. I don’t think it’s just about going out and getting the most raw talent,” he said following his arrival. “I think it’s about going out and getting the pieces that can fit together to form a team that is elite and dangerous. Teams are complicated, it’s like a perfectly put together stew. There’s a real artistry to it and that’s what we’re pursuing.”

That starts with getting these kids on campus and securing their commitments. Collin Chandler, Amari Williams and Travis Perry are all locked up, but there are 10 more scholarships to fill before calling it a roster. Who are the next names to keep an eye on? Pope’s bringing several to Lexington this weekend.

Otega Oweh (Oklahoma)

How about a player already on campus? Pope snuck this one through without anyone noticing, the 6-4 combo guard out of Blairstown, NJ arriving Thursday and spending the morning at Keeneland with the UK staff.

Oweh averaged 11.4 points and 3.8 rebounds this past season for the Sooners. He played in 32 games as a sophomore with 28 starts, averaging 24.8 minutes per contest, shooting 49.3% from the field and 37.7% from three.

Coming off visits to Texas A&M and Oregon, Kentucky joins that list of three schools as top contenders to land his commitment.

Deivon Smith (Utah)

One of the top point guards in the portal will be making his way to Lexington, a player who racked up five triple-doubles in a single season at Utah — the all-time Pac-12 record. Travis Branham of 247Sports was the first to break the news of Smith’s visit.

The 6-foot playmaker averaged 13.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 7.1 assists in 29.5 minutes per game this past season, shooting 46.7% from the field, 40.8% from three and 67.7% at the line. The former four-star recruit started his career at Mississippi State, then landed at Georgia Tech before making the move to Utah.

He will have one year of eligibility remaining at his fourth and final stop.

A source close to Smith tells KSR that Kentucky is “serious” and the interest is very mutual. We’ll see if Pope can close that one out this weekend.

Andrej Stojakovic (Stanford)

John Calipari offered the son of longtime NBA veteran and three-time All-Star Peja Stojakovic out of high school before he ultimately decided to take his talents to Stanford. Now he’s in the portal after one season with the Cardinal, a visit to Lexington being finalized as we speak.

As a freshman in 2023-24, Stojakovic averaged 7.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per contest. He shot 40.9 percent from the floor, 32.7 percent from deep, and 52.8 percent from the line. The California native will have three years of eligibility remaining.

The 6-7 wing cut his list to three on Thursday with California, North Carolina and Kentucky remaining in contention. The Bears and Wildcats, though, are seen as top contenders coming down the home stretch of his recruitment. He visited Cal over the weekend, and now, UK will get the chance to pitch him next.

Aidan Mahaney (Saint Mary’s)

Speaking of top guards, you won’t find many better than the two-time First Team All-WCC performer. Thought to be a heavy Michigan lean thanks to Justin Joyner’s hire under Dusty May, the former Saint Mary’s standout is keeping his options open with Kentucky being considered.

Mahaney took a visit to Creighton and Virginia while also making the trip to see UConn today. Up next? Lexington.

The 6-3 guard averaged 13.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 33.3 minutes per game this past season and is considered a top-35 player in the portal. He started all 34 games while shooting 38.6 percent overall, 35.5 percent from deep, and 81.3 percent from the line. Mahaney originally committed to Saint Mary’s over Xavier, Washington St., California, Northwestern, Princeton and Yale out of high school before developing into a high-profile transfer target.

Pope will see if there is a fit there in the coming days.