Mark Pope Pitches Kentucky to 5-Star Talent Liam McNeeley

As soon as Mark Pope accepted the job to coach his alma mater, he went into roster-building mode. The new Kentucky head basketball coach has spent his first days on the job contacting dozens of players in the transfer portal, but there’s one player from the high school ranks who could be a difference-maker for the Wildcats.

According to KSR’s Matt Jones, Mark Pope had Zoom call Wednesday evening with Liam McNeeley. A McDonald’s All-American, McNeeley is the top uncommitted player in the 2025 recruiting class. He’s the No. 15 overall player and sixth-ranked small forward in America.

A 6-foot-7 swingman from Montverde Academy, McNeeley originally committed to play for Indiana in October. He reopened his recruitment in March and many believed he would quickly flip to Kansas. During that time, John Calipari put Kentucky in the mix. Now Mark Pope is trying to pick up where Cal left off.

Kentucky’s top competition is currently UConn. McNeeley has scheduled an official visit to Storrs that is set to begin on Monday. If all went well tonight, a trip to Lexington may be in store in the future.

What exactly could McNeeley bring to the BBN? On3’s Jamie Shaw has the scouting report: “Liam McNeeley can shoot the basketball. That is probably his feature tool, but he is more than just a shooter. With good positional size, 6-foot-7, he can straight line drive a sloppy close-out, knock down a one, and two-dribble pull-up, and is a smart off-ball cutter. McNeeley is a good team defender; he understands footwork and angles well. He also rotates properly and is not afraid to step in and take a charge.”

Kentucky in Contact with Andrej Stojakovic

Another lengthy, sharp-shooting wing with a McDonald’s All-American Game appearance on his resume has been in contact with Mark Pope. Before he takes an official visit to Cal, Andrej Stojakovic caught up with Jacob Polacheck of KSR+.

“Coach Pope has shown interest and has offered for me to come on a visit and join their program,” Stojakovic said. “That’s something I’m looking to discuss more with him in the next couple of days.”

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