and over his 15 years he offered very few local kids. However, his tenure was an outlier.



There is special lore in UK basketball for Kentucky natives who become Kentucky basketball heroes. As Pope said in his opening press conference, he wants players who appreciate playing for the school. Most in-state kids grow up as fans of the team in their families and understand the history and tradition of UK basketball.

UK fans are also interested in having guys stick around for three to four years and develop into solid contributors as upperclassmen. Here is a representative comment from r/wildcats:

With the fans now feeling like they have their program back, adding a tough kid from Eastern KY only adds to that. In my opinion it’s about roster continuity. How will we feel watching a homegrown talent develop into a real contributor by year 3 or 4? Noah’s mindset and passion for UK should embody what Pope envisions for the program as a whole, and that should be contagious in the locker room.

https://www.reddit.com/r/wildcats/s/C6mhdIVBoG