Film Room: Ansley Almonor

Coach Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats continue to inch closer to having a full roster. Ansley Almonor, a transfer from Fairleigh Dickinson, became the newest member of the Big Blue Nation family on Thursday. The 6’7″ forward fits a very specific need as a front court player that can shoot the basketball. However, Almonor isn’t your everyday depth piece. Only two forwards in the country made more three-point shots than Almonor last season. He connected on 93 triples while shooting a remarkable 39.4%.

Kentucky has done a great job of keeping things quiet on the recruiting front this spring. There was misdirection prior to the Lamont Butler commitment, Brandon Garrison was a total surprise, and there was little evidence of Kerr Kriisa even being a target. That trend continued as nobody really new Ansley Almonor’s name until a week ago. Then, his official visit was scheduled and he committed to Kentucky before leaving Lexington. This staff’s hit rate on targets that step foot on campus has been incredibly high.

Prior to Kentucky’s interest, Almonor was likely headed to Siena. The Saints had pooled resources to offer a competitive NIL package that would likely beat other mid-major opportunities. However, when the ‘Cats came calling things changed. Coach Pope clearly found something he liked in the First Team All-NEC forward and decided to pounce. What role he settles into obviously will play out during practice, but on paper he appears to perfectly fill that backup forward spot behind Andrew Carr. Adding a front court piece with 93 games of experience that averaged 16.4 points per game and was one of the best shooters in college basketball last season seems to perfectly fit what Coach Pope values offensively.

As always, we’ve been hard at work in the KSR Film Room breaking down the Wildcats’ most recent commitment. Almonor fills a specific need and fits the Coach Pope style of play perfectly. It is hard to overstate how impressive his shooting numbers were last season. However, he wasn’t a one-hit wonder at Fairleigh Dickinson either. The 6’7″ forward connected on 75 three-pointers at a 38.1% clip as a sophomore on his way to earning NEC Most Improved Player honors. Then, as a junior, he finished 40th nationally, third among forwards, making 93 three-point shots. That skill will fit seamlessly into what Coach Pope wants to do offensively at Kentucky. Let’s dive on in and take a closer look at what Kentucky is getting in Ansley Almonor.

Catch-and-Shoot Ability

Especially when it comes to what he will do at Kentucky, the conversation about Ansley Almonor certainly begins with his catch-and-shoot ability. He is yet another incoming Wildcat who rated “excellent” per Synergy in spot up and catch-and-shoot opportunities shooting over 40% from three. Even if he does nothing more than space the floor and knock in a couple of three-point shots per game he will prove to be extremely valuable in his role.

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It doesn’t take much imagination to envision how Almonor could be used in Coach Pope’s offense. This clip shows him in a handoff action on the perimeter and then popping into space for a three. His pick-and-pop ability to will almost force opposing defenses to switch any ballscreen or handoff action he is involved in which will help Kentucky’s guards as well. You can tell he is a pure shooter by the way he immediately gets his hands ready as he drifts towards the wing.

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Having a forward with this ability in an offense that will likely be heavy in ballscreens and handoffs is such a luxury. Often times, that opposite forward will have to hang out in the dunker’s spot and potentially clog up the lane. However, Ansley Almonor can float out to the corner for a three. In this clip you see how his defender never moves from the paint completely losing sight of Almonor as he spaces to the corner. A lot of ballscreen/handoff continuity offenses would call this a “Euro” cut. He displays great footwork moving fluidly beyond the arc without having to turn his body. This is a big time shot and how you end up making 93 three-pointers in a season.

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Almonor’s ability to relocate on the wing is guard-like. You won’t see many guys who played the 5-spot like he did at Fairleigh Dickinson move their feet like this on the perimeter. He is fluid, agile, and comfortable on the perimeter. With hands and feet always ready to shoot the 6’7″ forward is able to squeeze off a lot of attempts. Things will get a little tougher in the SEC compared to the NEC. However, if he can just make the open ones it will go a long way.

Passing + Operating on the Perimeter

Kentucky will have a stable of front court pieces that are comfortable and familiar with playing out on the perimeter. Both Ansley Almonor and Andrew Carr are face-up forwards that can stretch the floor. Then, even at the center position, Amari Williams and Brandon Garrison are excellent passers who will initiate some offense. Coach Mark Pope hasn’t just assembled 11 talented players, he has brought in 11 guys who fit together very well. Also, maybe most importantly, the players fit the type of system that Coach Pope wants to utilize at Kentucky. Almonor is no strange to initiating offense on the perimeter beyond what he can do as a shooter.

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Almonor’s skill level goes beyond simply shooting the basketball. He is also a willing and able passer. Last season, the 6’7″ forward averaged 1.7 assists per game with an assist rate over 11%. He will be yet another front court piece that is capable of passing the ball within Kentucky’s offense. Especially with the attention he will attract on the perimeter there will be opportunities for him to find cutters on their way to the basket.

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When you make 93 three-point shots it really opens things up on the offensive end. Ansley Almonor will attract a lot of attention anytime he is beyond the three-point arc. Therefore, it will create opportunities for him as a cutter to catch his defender with his head turned. Against Illinois, his defender was out beyond the arc trying to take Almonor away. However, that opened up the backcut and led to two points after the goaltending call. With the space you can expect to see around the basket from Kentucky this coming season it is easy to envision Almonor getting a couple of buckets like this.

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It is unlikely that this Kentucky team faces as much zone as Fairleigh Dickinson did last season, but if they do see some sticking Ansley Almonor in the middle will prove useful. Again, he attracts attention due to his shooting ability and it opens up everything else on the floor. In this clip you see the low man aggressively step up to take Almonor at the free throw line which leaves a teammate wide open sliding along the baseline for a layup.

More Shooting

Making 93 three-point shots at a 39.4% clip earns you two different shooting categories. Imagine a forward who made nine more triples than Antonio Reeves and 18 more than Reed Sheppard. Whether it is as a pick-and-pop threat, spotting up space the floor, or trailing the play in transition you can expect Almonor’s shooting ability to flourish in Coach Mark Pope’s offensive system.

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Something we talked about last year in several “Watch the Tape” breakdowns was the number of players Kentucky had that attracted help defense off of the dribble as well as shooters that you couldn’t help off of on the perimeter. That was a big reason why the Wildcats had so much offensive success. The 2024-2025 iteration of the ‘Cats will have similar offensive strengths along with one of the best schematic minds in college basketball. You can expect to see Almonor knock in some corner three-point shots like this one here after a penetrating ball handler draws the attention of several defenders.

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Defenses can’t afford any lazy closeouts when guarding Almonor. If you are a step short or don’t have your hands up he will shoot it in from anywhere. This clip from the Illinois game showcases his deep range. Almonor pops after a handoff, but Coleman Hawkins doesn’t get out far enough to take him away. Even from well beyond NBA range the Fairleigh Dickinson transfer has proven to be high percentage.

Evaluation

Ansley Almonor is an elite shooter. That is probably the first, second, and third thing that comes to mind when studying his film. You don’t make as many three-point shots as he has, at the percentage he has shot, over the last two seasons by accident. The 6’7″ forward displays good footwork on the perimeter, always has his hands ready to receive a pass, and can space the floor well beyond the arc. His ability as a pick-and-pop threat, along with simply spacing the floor with his catch-and-shoot ability, will fit in well to Kentucky’s offense under Coach Mark Pope. The other areas of his game may have a harder time translating to the SEC, but shooting travels. Almonor is the perfect piece to round out Kentucky’s front court.