Mark Pope had 'very brief, casual conversation' with Aaron Bradshaw before transfer to Ohio State

Aaron Bradshaw‘s reunion with Kentucky is scheduled for this Saturday in New York City, but it remains unclear if he’ll actually suit up for Ohio State when he faces his former college team.

After spending his freshman season in Lexington, Bradshaw transferred to the Buckeyes in the offseason. But so far, he’s been limited to just four games this season due to an alleged domestic violence case. The seven-footer was averaging 7.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per contest before his leave of absence. He is now back with the team, but there is no timetable for a return.

Bradshaw was one of several players from the 2023-24 Kentucky roster to leave in the offseason. In fact, the entire roster was gone once John Calipari bolted for Arkansas, leaving Mark Pope with an empty cupboard. Pope was hired by Kentucky on April 12. Bradshaw committed to Ohio State on April 15.

During those three days, was there ever a chance that Bradshaw would return to Kentucky and play under Pope? Unlikely.

“Just very brief, casual conversation. I think he’s probably a terrific kid,” Pope said on Wednesday when asked if he talked with Bradshaw while he was in the portal. “I don’t really know him well. It’s the nature of college basketball right now where you got a lot of different guys at a lot of different schools. Experience a lot of different things.”

Pope acknowledged that he didn’t exactly want to get into any details about his talks with Bradshaw. “How about that for a non-answer?” he joked. At this point, they don’t matter anyway.

But regardless, Pope’s roster-building plan clearly worked out without bringing Bradshaw back into the fold. Kentucky has two talented centers in Amari Williams and Brandon Garrison, along with stretch forward Andrew Carr. Garrison is the backup center and he’s putting up comparable numbers to Bradshaw, who was playing a starting role four games into the season.

Bradshaw’s status for Saturday’s game continues to be up in the air. Tipoff between Kentucky (10-1) and Ohio State (7-4) is set for 5:30 p.m. EST on CBS.