Transfer Portal Bio Blast: Wesley Yates III

The NCAA Tournament is still ongoing, but the transfer portal waits for no one. With six outgoing seniors/graduates and one outgoing transfer, Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats will have to reload through the portal once again this offseason.

Kam Williams (Tulane) and Jaland Lowe (Pitt) are already on board. Who could be next?

Southern California’s Wesley Yates III is one we’re keeping a very close eye on. The 6-foot-4 Texas native has connections with Kentucky associate head coach Alvin Brooks and is someone KSR’s Matt Jones believes the Wildcats “would love to go after”. Yates went into the portal on Saturday morning and smoke has continued to build from there.

On Wesley Yates, he was player from the Crown I believed Kentucky would go after. Huge connection with him and Alvin Brooks

I have no idea whether they can/will get him (Washington is a big factor bc of Dad) but it’s the guy I always thought Kentucky would love to go after

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) April 5, 2025

Washington is also expected to be involved in this recruitment. Yates is cousins with former NBA player Quincy Pondexter, who is currently on staff as an assistant at USC but starred with the Huskies as a player from 2006-10. Originally committed to Washington, Yates redshirted his true freshman season with the Huskies in 2023-24. At the time, Pondexter was on the Washington staff. Both he and Yates went to USC for the 2024-25 campaign.

[KSR’s Kentucky MBB Transfer Portal Tracker]

Redshirting at Washington

Considered a top 50 recruit out of Beaumont United (TX) High School, Yates, who turned 20 years old in January, averaged 19.7 points and four rebounds per game as a senior, leading his squad to a 36-2 record and the 6A championship. He finished with 12 points, three rebounds, and three assists in the title game victory. Yates graduated as Beaumont United’s all-time leading scorer.

From there, Yates began his college career at Washington under former head coach Mike Hopkins (alongside one-time Wildcat, Keion Brooks). But the crazy part is Yates and Pondexter didn’t even know they were cousins until Pondexter cold-called him in 2021 to offer a scholarship. They developed a very close bond from then on. Unfortunately, Yates suffered a foot injury soon after arriving on campus as a true freshman and was forced to sit out the entire 2023-24 season.

When Hopkins was replaced with current head coach Danny Sprinkles last offseason, Pondexter went to USC; Yates soon followed.

Breaking out at Southern California

It didn’t take long for Yates to find his groove with the Trojans. Now playing for Eric Musselman (in his first year as USC head coach), he came off the bench in his first nine games. He scored nine points in his debut and reached double-figures the following four games, but then hit a four-game lull that saw him score a combined four points on 1-14 shooting.

After scoring only one point against Oregon on Dec. 4, Yates was tossed into the starting lineup just three days later again — you guessed it — his former school Washington. In 37 minutes, he exploded for 19 points on 7-11 shooting. He started the following 23 games, including two games in the Big Ten Tournament. During that span, Yates averaged 16.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, two assists, and 1.3 steals in 35.9 minutes per outing on shooting splits of 48.9/47.5/78.9.

Yates settled in as a knockdown shooter, attempting 4.2 shots from deep per game as a starter. He produced 16 games of 15 or more points, dropping a career-high 30 points on the road against Purdue in February. A few games after that, Yates went on a three-game run that saw him score 21 points, 23 points, and 27 points consecutively. Fatigue was rarely an issue either — he had nine games of playing 39 or more minutes and even played all 50 minutes in a double-overtime win over Rutgers in the conference tournament.

Advanced Stat Profile: Wesley Yates III

Clocking in at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Yates is more than just a sharpshooter. 43 percent of his shot attempts came at the rim, which he connected on at a decent 54.5 percent clip. The shot release on his jumper is a bit funky as he brings the ball to the right side of his body and flicks it toward the rim, but the results speak for themselves.

Stat	Finish	Ranking
3PT percentage	43.9	35th nationally
True Shooting percenatge	59.2	264th nationally
Catch and Shoot	76 EFG%	100th percentile nationally
Off-Ball Screens	1.21 points per possession	81st percentile nationally

But again, shooting is his strength. 74 percent of his three-pointers were assisted. Yates quite literally was among the best in the country last season in catch-and-shoot situations. If he’s open, he’s firing. He’s not immune to putting the ball on the deck though where he can get to the rim and finish with either hand or dish out a nice pocket pass.

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