Kentucky trending as favorite to land Fairleigh Dickinson transfer Ansley Almonor

Fairleigh Dickinson transfer Ansley Almonor arrived in Lexington for a visit on Tuesday and will stay on campus until Thursday. And although his trip has yet to wrap up, Kentucky appears to be trending as the frontrunner.

Mark Singelais of the Times Union recently spoke with Frank Ambrose, co-founder of the Siena-endorsed NIL collective Saints March On, about Almonor’s situation. Siena men’s basketball was once viewed as the leader to land Almonor in the portal, but that quickly changed once Kentucky entered the picture.

“We did everything to help offer him a great NIL package and were (in) the lead vs other mid majors but obviously weren’t expecting to compete with a P5 (power-five program),” Ambrose told the Times Union. “It happens and we are ready to help coach close those remaining spots.”

Almonor also visited Iona and Pepperdine, but Pope held a Zoom call with the 6-foot-7 forward over the weekend and got him on campus this week. Barring a last-second change of heart, he is the Wildcats to lose. Almonor has one year of eligibility remaining.

"We did everything to help offer (Ansley Almonor) a great NIL package and were in the lead vs other mid majors but obviously weren't expecting to compete with a P5 (power-five program)." A surprising Siena vs. Kentucky recruiting twist:
https://t.co/OgpzsliBYV via @TimesUnion

— Mark Singelais (@MarkSingelais) May 14, 2024

Almonor, a native of New York, joined Fairleigh Dickinson as a freshman ahead of the 2021-22 season. In year one, he started four of 24 games played, averaging 3.5 points and 1.7 rebounds in 9.7 minutes per outing. His role significantly increased as a sophomore in 2022-23 to averages of 13.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while earning Third Team All-Northeast Conference honors along the way.

But his best run came in 2023-24. He was tabbed as the NEC Player of the Week twice and was named First Team All-NEC. He ended his time with the Knights recording 1,097 career points. His 93 three-point makes this past season were the most in the conference and tied for the most in a single season in program history.

Almonor was a member of the 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson team in the 2023 NCAA Tournament that upset 1-seed Purdue in the opening round. Could he be the 11th piece added to Pope’s roster?