Kentucky portal target Wesley Yates commits to Washington

One of the shooters that Kentucky was pursuing in the transfer portal is off the board. USC transfer guard Wesley Yates just announced his commitment to Washington, his first college team and the frontrunner in his recruitment the last few days.

Yates entered the portal on Saturday morning, and Kentucky was immediately mentioned as a potential destination due to the Texas native’s ties to associate head coach Alvin Brooks; however, Yates’ ties to a different coach won out. His cousin and former NBA player Quincy Pondexter was a star for the Huskies from 2006-10 and was on Washington’s staff as an assistant when they recruited Yates (wildly, they found out they were cousins when Pondexter cold-called him to offer a scholarship). Yates joined Pondexter at Washington but injured his foot shortly after arriving on campus, forcing him to sit out the entire 2023-24 season. When Washington head coach Mike Hopkins was replaced with Danny Sprinkles last year, Pondexter went to USC, and Yates followed. Now, they’re both headed back to Seattle.

In his one season at USC, Yates averaged 14.1 points on 47.8% shooting, 43.9% from the three-point line. He made an average of 1.6 threes per game on 3.7 attempts. He was just one of three shooters Kentucky was looking at in the portal, the other two being Sam Houston transfer guard Lamar Wilkerson and Jacksonville State guard Jaron Pierre Jr. When the winds started to shift Washington’s way for Yates, Wilkerson’s camp actually reached out to Kentucky to gauge their interest, according to Jack Pilgrim.

“Then, you start to hear some of that scuttlebutt about Kentucky really picking things up as the Wesley recruitment seems to be going down another path,” Pilgrim said on today’s episode of Here Comes The Boom. “We always knew Washington was a very real threat the entire time, knowing the prior family relationships and the Quincy Pondexter relationship. That’s one that I would be monitoring very closely there.

“I think it got to the point with Lamar that, when Yates went the other direction, I heard that Lamar’s side was peeking in and checking in with Kentucky, and saying, ‘Hey, do you guys have that two spot filled?’ Is Yates taking it? What is your plan there?’ They’ve always had a high level of interest in Kentucky and had been keeping an eye out there.”

Wilkerson is set to visit Kentucky on Sunday. Best of luck to Yates in Seattle.

Unfinished business, see y’all in the fall ! pic.twitter.com/tZ4qABZdlC

— Wesley Yates lll (@thewesleyyates_) April 10, 2025

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A post shared by Wesley Yates III (@thewesleyyates)

Kentucky Basketball 2025-26 Roster Tracker

Here is a running list of who’s coming, going, or being contacted by the staff as the 2025-26 roster comes together.

PORTAL TARGETS (7)

• Alvaro Folgueiras – Robert Morris – 13.8 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 3.1 APG, 54.4 FG%, 41.5 3PT%
• Mackenzie Mgbako – F – Indiana – 12.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.1 APG, 43.7% FG, 32.9% 3PT
• Jaron Pierre Jr. – Jacksonville State – 21.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 3.8 APG, 42.4 FG%, 38.2 3PT%
• Elijah Moore – G – Syracuse – 5.2 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 6.4 APG, 39.1% FG, 31.5% 3PT
• Elyjah Freeman – F – Lincoln Memorial (DII) – 19.3 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 2.4 APG, 57.8% FG, 46.3% 3PT
• Lamar Wilkerson – G – Sam Houston – 20.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.1 APG, 47.7% FG, 44.5% 3PT

COMMITS (4)

• Kam Williams – G – Tulane – 9.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 48.5% FG, 41.2% 3PT | Committed 3/28
• Jaland Lowe – G – Pittsburgh – 16.8 PPG, 5.5 APG, 4.2 RPG, 37.6% FG, 26.6% 3PT | Committed 4/5
• Mouhamed Dioubate – F – Alabama – 7.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.1 APG, 61.7% FG, 46.2% 3PT | Committed 4/7
• Jayden Quaintance – F – Arizona State – 9.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.6 BPG, 52.5 FG% | Committed 4/8

RETURNING / INCOMING (8)

• Otega Oweh – G – Rising Senior – 16.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.7 APG, 49.2% FG, 35.5% 3PT
• Brandon Garrison – C – Rising Junior – 5.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 50.9%
• Collin Chandler – C- Rising Sophomore – 2.7 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.7 APG, 36.1% FG, 34.7% 3PT
• Travis Perry – PG – Rising Sophomore – 2.7 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 0.6 APG, 31.3% FG, 32.1% 3PT
• Trent Noah – F – Rising Sophomore – 2.7 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 0.4 APG, 45.1% FG, 33.3% 3PT
• Malachi Moreno – C – Incoming Freshman – Great Crossing (Georgetown, KY)
• Jasper Johnson – SG – Incoming Freshman – Overtime Elite (Lexington, KY)
• Acaden Lewis – PG – Incoming Freshman – Sidwell Friends (Washington DC)

DEPARTURES (1)

• Kerr Kriisa – G – Senior – 4.4 PPG, 3.8 APG, 2.4 RPG, 27.9% FG | Entered Portal 3/31, Committed to Cincinnati