Kentucky Basketball Roster Tracker: Surprise! Brandon Garrison is a CAT

Koby Brea was expected to be the next pledge for Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats — and then Oklahoma State’s Brandon Garrison shook up the college basketball world with a surprise commitment Tuesday morning.

The former McDonald’s All-American took visits to Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, but never saw Lexington. Just a day removed from his official to Fayetteville, though, the 6-11, 245-pound big man out of Oklahoma City decided to wear blue and white as a Wildcat.

Garrison appeared in 32 games for the Cowboys with 29 starts, averaging 7.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in 22.7 minutes per contest, closing out the year ranked fifth in the Big 12 in blocks per game at 1.47. A former top-50 recruit out of high school, the four-star prospect will have three years of eligibility remaining at Kentucky, a high-ceiling pickup for Pope and his staff. It’s the seventh overall, joining the likes of Collin Chandler, Travis Perry, Amari Williams, Lamont Butler, Otega Oweh and Andrew Carr.

Brea is not expected to be far behind as he wraps up his official visit to Lexington.

Elsewhere, a few draft notes came through early Tuesday afternoon that impact both current and future Wildcats. In the early entry candidate list officially released by the NBA, DJ Wagner, Adou Thiero, Ugonna Onyenso and Aaron Bradshaw were all missing, meaning they will be returning to college in 2024-25. Bradshaw has signed with Ohio State while the other three continue to explore their options.

As for names of note for the upcoming Kentucky roster, signees Lamont Butler, Amari Williams and Andrew Carr were all on the list, as is BYU star Jaxson Robinson, who entered the portal this past weekend. They will have until May 29 at 11:59 PM ET to withdraw in order to maintain eligibility

GONE (GRADUATED/NBA DRAFT): Antonio Reeves, Tre Mitchell, Justin Edwards, Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard

TRANSFER PORTAL: Adou Thiero, Aaron Bradshaw (Ohio State), Joey Hart (Ball State), Zvonimir Ivisic (Arkansas), DJ Wagner, Jordan Burks, Ugonna Onyenso

IMPORTANT DATES

• April 27: NBA Early Entry Eligibility Deadline (11:59 p.m. ET)
• May 1: Transfer Portal Closes
• May 12: NBA Draft Lottery
• May 13-19: NBA Combine
• May 29: NCAA early entrant withdrawal deadline (11:59 pm ET)
• June 16: NBA Draft Early Entry Entrant Withdrawal Deadline (5 p.m. ET)
• June 26: NBA Draft 2024 First Round
• June 27: NBA Draft 2024 Second Round

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UPDATES

April 30: Oklahoma State’s Brandon Garrison commits to Kentucky

• The 6-11 freshman averaged 7.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game this season, shooting 57.2% from the field
• Visited Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma before choosing Kentucky without ever making the trip to Lexington

April 29: Dayton transfer Koby Brea visits Kentucky

• Cut list down to Kentucky, UConn, Kansas, Duke and North Carolina
• 6-foot-5, 175-pound combo guard who averaged 11.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 33 games as a junior in 2023-24.
• Started four games while averaging 29.1 minutes per outing. Shot 49.8 percent from deep on 201 attempts this past season.
• Originally heard from the Wildcats on April 16

April 29: Saint Mary’s transfer Aidan Mahaney commits to UConn

• 6-foot-3 guard chose the Huskies over Kentucky, Creighton and Virginia, among others
• Averaged 13.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 33.3 minutes per game for Saint Mary’s this past season, starting all 34 games.
• A two-time First Team All-WCC performer.

April 28: Wake Forest’s Andrew Carr picks Kentucky

• Averaged 13.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 32.5 minutes per outing for the Deamon Deacons in 2023-24. Started all 35 games played.
• Also visited Texas Tech and Villanova before signing with UK

April 28: Utah State’s Great Osobor arrives in Lexington for official visit

• Checks in at 6-foot-8, 250 pounds. Averaged 17.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game in 2023-24
• Was tabbed the Mountain West Player of the Year this past season
• First heard from Kentucky on April 16

April 27: Otega Oweh, you are a Wildcat

• Committed to Kentucky over Oregon after visiting Lexington earlier in the week.
• Nicknamed “Otega-Tron” for his ability to transform into whatever kind of defender his team needed.
• The fifth player on board for Kentucky’s 2024-25 roster.

April 27: Andrej Stojakovic commits to California

• With a final three of Kentucky, North Carolina, and California, the West Coast native elected to stay close to home, choosing the Golden Bears.
• A visit to Kentucky was reportedly in the works, but Stojakovic committed to California before he could make it to Lexington.
• 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.
• Son of longtime NBA veteran and three-time All-Star Peja Stojakovic.

April 27: BYU’s Jaxson Robinson enters the transfer portal

• Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year this past season after posting per-game averages of 14.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 26.4 minutes per game.
• Entered the NBA Draft on April 23
• Says his recruitment is “100% open” should he decide to return to school, though Kentucky is seen as a heavy favorite to land his commitment

April 26: Lamont Butler commits to Kentucky

• Another significant defensive piece for Mark Pope going into year one. Along with Williams, UK has five conference Defensive Player of the Year awards between them.
• A trip to Las Vegas from Pope and Co. sealed the deal.
• One year of eligibility remains for the point guard.

April 25: Miami’s Wooga Poplar added to contact list

• 6-foot-5 guard averaged 13.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 31.1 minutes this past season.
• Reported by Dushawn London of 247Sports.
• St. John’s, Kansas, Villanova, Temple, Ole Miss, Florida State, and Arizona State have also reached out.

April 25: Utah’s Deivon Smith becomes serious point guard target for Pope

• The 6-foot point guard averaged 13.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 7.1 assists in 29.5 minutes per game.
• Smith started his college career at Mississippi State (2020-21) before transferring to Georgia Tech for two seasons (2021-23) and then to Utah last season.
• Posted five triple-doubles in 2023-24.
• Scheduled official visit to Kentucky, which has since been postponed

April 23: Kentucky reaches out to Duke’s TJ Power

• Played sparingly as a freshman last season, averaging just 2.1 points and 0.7 rebounds in seven minutes per outing across 26 appearances.
• Arkansas, Michigan, BYU, Wake Forest, Southern California, Miami (FL), Notre Dame, West Virginia, Boston College, and Iowa have also reached.

April 23: Utah State’s Great Osobor locks in 4 visits

• Osobor, who shares the same agent as Amari Williams, locked in an official visit with Kentucky for April 29-31.
• Also visiting Louisville (May 1-3), Texas Tech (May 4-6), and Washington (May 7-9).
• Mountain West Player of the Year in 2023-24 with averages of 17.7 points, nine rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.3 steals in 33.6 minutes per contest.

April 23: Former Kentucky center Ugonna Onyenso enters transfer portal

• Alabama, Oklahoma, Georgetown, Louisville, and Florida were among the first schools to reach out
• The Crimson Tide have since emerged as the favorite to land his commitment
• Originally declared for the NBA Draft on April 16, but was not included on the early entrant list

April 22: Kentucky contacts Minnesota’s Elijah Hawkins

• 5-foot-11 point guard averaged 9.5 points and 7.5 assists per game in 2023-24, tied for the most in the Big Ten.
• Last year he shot 37.6% from three and scored in double figures 18 times on a Minnesota team that finished with 19 wins.
• Started college career at Howard for two seasons.

April 22: Collin Chandler signs with Kentucky, Travis Perry reaffirms commitment

• Chandler committed to Kentucky on April 16 but was not announced as signed until almost a week later. The former BYU signee is officially a Wildcat.
• The same day, Perry confirmed that he would join Kentucky for the 2024-25 season.

April 21: Amari Williams is a Wildcat

• Defense was not a strength of Mark Pope’s teams at BYU. Defense is what his first significant transfer portal addition does best. Williams was a three-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year for Drexel.
• Williams picked Kentucky over Mississippi State.
• The 6-foot-10 big man made the decision after officially visiting Lexington this weekend.

April 20: Kentucky contacts Duke’s Sean Stewart

• Kentucky joins Kansas State, Indiana, Arkansas, USC, Florida State, Cincinnati, Georgetown, Arizona State, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Baylor, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Cal, Stanford, South Carolina, Washington, Howard, UCSB and Harvard to express interest
• Was the No. 12 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle
• The 6-9 freshman out of Windermere, Florida averaged 2.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in just 8.4 minutes per game this season for the Blue Devils

April 19: Joey Hart commits to Ball State

• The 6-5 sharpshooter out of Linton, IN entered the portal as a redshirt freshman on April 8 after playing just ten minutes in his debut season as a Wildcat.
• He scored three points in Lexington — a made 3-pointer in Kentucky’s win over Marshall back on November 24.
• Also considered Ole Miss, West Virginia and UCF before choosing Ball State

April 19: Jordan Burks enters the transfer portal

• Averaged 1.9 points and 1.7 rebounds in 7.2 minutes per outing as a freshman
• Was a three-star recruit in high school out of Overtime Elite
• The 6-8 forward only saw at least 10 minutes in seven of his 20 games played

April 19: Adou Thiero cuts list to five, includes Kentucky

• Previously entering the portal on March 28, the 6-8 forward is down to Kentucky, North Carolina, Pitt, Indiana and Arkansas
• Took a visit to Pittsburgh — the hometown school

April 19: Kentucky makes final six for Villanova’s TJ Bamba

• The 6-5, 215-pound guard is down to UK, Louisville, Stanford, Florida, Memphis and Oregon
• Bamba averaged 10.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, shooting 43.0% from the field, 36.9% from three and 82.4% at the line

April 18: Reed Sheppard declares or the NBA Draft

• The star guard is the No. 7 overall prospect in ESPN’s list of best available draft prospects
• He has decided to forgo the remainder of his college eligibility
• “I’m going all-in,” Sheppard told ESPN. “The opportunity I have is great. I’ve gotten really good feedback showing where I can be in the draft. I had an unbelievable year at Kentucky. It was such a fun year. It’s not easy leaving the fans and the school I dreamed of playing at. I need to do what’s best for me, and that’s heading to the NBA.”

April 18: BYU’s Aly Khalifa commits to Louisville over Kentucky

• The 6-11, 270-pound center out of Alexandria, Egypt previously announced three finalists: Kentucky, Louisville and BYU
• Khalifa averaged 5.7 points, 4.0 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 19.4 minutes per game on 38.6/31.5/62.1 shooting splits
• Originally entered portal on April 12 with a ‘do not contact’ tag
• He will be redshirting in 2023-24 while rehabbing a knee injury

April 16: Oklahoma’s Otega Oweh hears from Pope

• Pope reached out to Oweh this week, according to KSR+’s Jacob Polacheck
• The 6-foot-4, 210-pound combo guard averaged 11.4 points and 3.8 rebounds, playing in 32 games for Oklahoma as a sophomore in 2023-24
• He started in 28 games and averaged 24.8 minutes per contest
• Oweh is set to visit Oregon on April 19 and Texas A&M on April 23

April 16: Collin Chandler commits to Kentucky

• The 6-4 scorer is rated as the No. 34 overall prospect and No. 6 combo guard in the final 2022 On3 Player Rankings
• Chandler spent two years on mission ahead of his college basketball debut in 2024-25
• 2022 Utah Gatorade Player of the Year, averaged 21.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 steals as a senior in high school
• Committed to BYU over Arizona, Gonzaga, Oregon, Stanford and Utah, among others

• “I’m ready to go to the next level,” Onyenso told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. “I’m not thinking about coming back to play college basketball. I’m 100% focused on the NBA.”
• Onyenso averaged 3.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 19 minutes per contest this past season
• The 7-foot center is the No. 47 overall prospect in ESPN’s list of best available draft prospects
• He signed with an agent, but did not officially shut the door for a return to college, despite making it clear he has no interest in coming back to school

April 15: Zvonimir Ivisic transfers to Arkansas

• “I made the lifetime decision to come to college for a few reasons,” Ivisic announced. “Main one’s to win a national championship and go to the NBA. Monumental part of that decision was Coach Cal, and no one does both of those at the same time than him. That’s why I am excited to announce that I am committing to Coach Cal and the Arkansas Razorbacks!”
• Ivisic racked up 15 total appearances in Lexington, averaging 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 57.7% from the field and 37.5% from three.

April 15: Aaron Bradshaw commits to Ohio State

• Bradshaw took an official visit to Columbus over the weekend and announced his commitment to open the week on Monday.
• The former top-five recruit was the first portal entry for the Wildcats to commit elsewhere
• He originally entered the transfer portal on April 8
• The 7-foot-1 freshman averaged 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game this season while shooting 57.6% from the field.

April 15: DJ Wagner enters transfer portal

• The 6-foot-3 former five-star recruit averaged 9.9 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 25.8 minutes per game for Kentucky this past season

April 15: Northern Illinois transfer David Coit hears from the Wildcats

• Kentucky joins TCU, Louisville, Utah, Washington State and Oregon State as schools to reach out, according to The Portal Report
• Averaged 20.8 points, 3.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game
• 40.7% FG, 33.7% 3PT, 88.5% FT

April 14: Kentucky reaches out to Oklahoma State transfer Javon Small

• Kansas, Miami, Indiana, Texas and Louisville are other schools with mutual interest, sources tell KSR
• Averaged 15.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 4.1 APG, shooting 44% overall last season
• Set to take official visit to Miami this week

April 12: BYU’s Jaxson Robinson becomes name to know for Kentucky

• The 6-7 guard averaged a team-high 14.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 26.4 minutes per outing.
• He shot 42.6 percent from the field, 35.4 percent from deep (6.9 attempts per game), and 90.8 percent from the free throw line.

April 9: Rob Dillingham enters the NBA Draft, forgoes remaining eligibility

• Dillingham’s time in Lexington comes to a close with a season average of 15.2 points, 3.9 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game while shooting 47.5% from the field and 44.4% from three.
• He is currently the No. 4 overall prospect in ESPN’s list of best-available players in the 2024 draft

April 4: Justin Edwards enters the NBA Draft

• The former five-star wing becomes the first player to forgo his time at Kentucky and enter the NBA Draft
• He is currently rated as the No. 30 overall prospect in ESPN’s list of best available players in the draft pool, good for third on the team behind Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard