Kentucky Basketball’s Mark Pope Hits Recruiting Trail for Top 2 Transfer Portal Stars

Getty Kentucky target Wooga Poplar

As he continues to build out the Kentucky basketball roster in the wake of the massive college hoops upheaval that followed the departure of John Calipari to Arkansas, coach Mark Pope only needs to add another name or two to give himself a deep team with a chance to compete in the SEC. He spent the weekend watching two of those names, as North Florida’s Chaz Lanier and Miami’s Wooga Poplar competed in the G League Elite camp in Chicago.

Both Lanier and Poplar are in the transfer portal and both have gotten considerable interest from Pope and Kentucky. The camp was set up so that players who are not invited to the NBA’s predraft combine can have a chance to earn a spot in the combine, which starts this week.

Five of the 45 players at the G League Camp were invited to the combine, but Lanier and Poplar did not make the cut. Boogie Ellis of USC, West Virgina’s Jessee Edwards, Akron’s Enrique Freeman, Washington State’s Isaac Jones and Memphis star Nae’Qwan Tomlin got the combine nod.

Kentucky Basketball Making a Push for Chaz Lanier

Lanier is a polished 6-4 scoring guard who averaged 19.7 points for the North Florida Ospreys last year. It was a breakout season for Lanier, as he had averaged just 4.2 points on 42.3% shooting in his first three seasons. But he got his shot together as a fourth-year junior, making 51.0% from the field and 44.0% from the 3-point line.

He was a first-team All A-Sun player last year, after spending most of his career coming off the bench. And Kentucky basketball may well be the leader in bringing Lanier in, though there is mutual interest in Tennessee, too. Lanier is from Nashville.

As the Tennesseean reported on Lanier, tabbing him as the Volunteers’ top potential recruit:

“North Florida’s Chaz Lanier is as good at it gets in the portal. Lanier averaged 19.7 points and shot 44.4% on 3-pointers with the Ospreys. The 6-foot-4, 199-pound Lanier played high school basketball at The Ensworth School in Nashville. Competition for Lanier will be fierce.”

Wide Interest in Wooga Poplar

As for Poplar, he is also a high-scoring guard who has the ability to stretch the floor with his shooting. There were big things expected from him coming into the 2023-24 season, and he was expected to have a shot at the first round of this year’s NBA draft.

But Miami was disappointing this season and though Poplar averaged 13.1 points and 38.5% 3-point shooting, he did not leave much of an impression on scouts. He could yet remain in the draft, but it’s a longshot that he would be picked.

If Poplar does pull out of consideration for the NBA draft, he has a very active set of possibilities on the college front. In addition to contract from Kentucky, he is also being pursued by Arkansas, Auburn and Duke, among others.

Another factor for Kentucky basketball: The team is waiting for a decision from BYU’s Jaxson Richardson, who is in the NBA combine and could decide to remain in the draft, though he is not likely to be picked. If Richardson does not stay in the draft, he will remain in the transfer portal and would be expected to follow Pope from Provo to Lexington.