It appears we have our first Kentucky Wildcats vs. Louisville Cardinals battle of the Mark Pope era.
When Pope was announced to UK, BYU Cougars center Aly Khalifa entered the transfer portal with a ‘Do not contact’ tag. It was later reported he’d visit Louisville.
According to On3’s Joe Tipton, Khalifa has already cut his list down to three options: Kentucky, Louisville, and a return to BYU.
The 6-foot-11, 270-pound native of Egypt averaged 5.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists across 19.4 minutes per game this season, shooting 38.6% from the field and 31.5% on 3-pointers. He began his career at Charlotte for two seasons.
This news comes amid reports that Kentucky will host Drexel transfer Amari Williams for a visit later this month. It’s unclear if Mark Pope is trying to get one or both big men onto the roster next season.
In BYU’s win over Baylor on February 20th, Khalifa scored 14 points on 5/7 shooting (4/6 from deep) with seven rebounds, seven assists, a block, and a steal. He’s one of the best passing big men in college basketball.
Come on down?
