Mark Pope visits two transfer portal targets before dead period

The plane trackers were made famous during Kentucky‘s initial search as fans hoped to narrow down Mitch Barnhart’s top coaching targets, and then they used it to follow Mark Pope as he flew across the country meeting with the Wildcats’ top recruiting targets. Remember the staff’s top-secret mission to Las Vegas in the private jet last spring? That landed them Lamont Butler — a pretty important piece, if I do say so myself.

They were back in full force on Wednesday, watching Pope’s every move as he looks to build his second Kentucky roster as the head coach in Lexington. With the recruiting dead period starting Thursday, April 3 and reopening on Friday, April 11, the staff wanted to get a few last-minute visits in before face-to-face recruiting takes a brief pause.

The trackers watched the flight head north toward Minneapolis, then south toward Dallas. There was plenty of speculation regarding what the trips meant, if anything, and who the Wildcats were going to see.

The answer? Well, they did check in with a few portal targets, starting with Pittsburgh transfer Jaland Lowe and finishing with Jacksonville State transfer Jaron Pierre Jr., KSR has learned.

Mark Pope and Alvin Brooks III made the visits for Kentucky.

Lowe entered the portal on April 1 after earning Third Team All-ACC honors in 2024-25, averaging 16.8 points on 38/27/89 shooting splits with 5.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds per contest for the Panthers. The 6-3 guard played two seasons at Pitt, averaging 9.6 points per contest in year one before emerging as the go-to scoring threat for the program in year two, playing 35.5 minutes per game. He wraps up his career with 836 points, 278 assists and 221 rebounds under Jeff Capel.

Pitt guard Jaland Lowe will enter the transfer portal with a "Do Not Contact" tag, source confirmed to @PghSportsNow/@ThePortalReport.

First by @tobias_bass.

Lowe (3rd Team All-ACC) averaged 16.8 PPG and 5.5 APG this season for #Pitt.

MORE: https://t.co/loOv8nANRY… pic.twitter.com/mMhfzzDEze

— George Michalowski (@MichalowskiCBB) April 1, 2025

From there, Pope and Brooks III traveled to Dallas to meet with Pierre Jr. — the Conference USA Player of the Year, who averaged 21.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 37.6 minutes per contest while shooting 42.4 percent from the floor overall, 38.2 percent from three and 81 percent at the line. One of the nation’s top scoring guards in 2024-25 while also playing the second-most minutes of anyone in all of Division I, the 6-5 standout is searching for his fourth school in six season with one final year of eligibility remaining.

Jacksonville state’s 6’5 Jaron Pierre has entered the transfer portal while declaring for the NBA draft

This past season Jaron averaged:

21.6 PPG
5.6 RPG
3.7 APG
43.3% FG
38.2% 3PT(7.6 attempts)
81% FT

Immediately one of the top players in the portal and has a do not contact… pic.twitter.com/6doZxv6JRn

— Arman Jovic (@PDTScouting) March 31, 2025

What do you think, BBN? Would you like to see either guard — or both? — in blue and white next season?

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 (16)

• Yaxel Lendeborg – UAB – 17.7 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 4.2 APG, 52.2 FG%, 35.7 3PT%
• 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
• Taylor Bol Bowen – F – Florida State – 8.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 0.8 APG, 47.7% FG, 41.4% 3PT
• Jaron Pierre – Jacksonville State – 21.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 3.8 APG, 42.4 FG%, 38.2 3PT%
• Vyctorius Miller – G – LSU – 8.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 1.2 APG, 44.7 FG%, 31.8 3PT
• Ja’Kobi Gillespie – Maryland – 14.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 4.8 APG, 45.3% FG, 40.7% 3PT
• Reed Bailey – Davidson – 18.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 3.8 APG, 47.7 FG%, 41.5 3PT%
• Rodney Rice – Maryland – 13.8 PGG, 2.2 RPG, 1.2 APG, 43.4 FG%, 37.4 3PT%
• Abdi Bashir Jr. – G – Monmouth – 20.1 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.2 APG, 37.7% FG, 38.3% 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
• Frankie Collins – G – TCU – 11.2 PGG, 4.4 RPG, 4.4 APG, 42.2% FG, 26.1% 3PT
• Lamar Wilkerson – G – Sam Houston – 20.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.1 APG, 47.7% FG, 44.5% 3PT
• Alex Steen – F – Florida Southern (DII) – 17.9 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 2.5 BPG, 56.2 FG%, 28.6 3PT

COMMITS (1)

• Kam Williams – G – Tulane – 9.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 48.5% FG, 41.2% 3PT | Committed 3/28

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