Transfer portal talk: Another former Kentucky men’s basketball player announces new school
Another week of the NCAA men’s basketball transfer portal means another week of activity concerning the Kentucky Wildcats.
This included former UK players announcing their next playing destinations and the now-concluded recruiting visit that top portal player Hunter Dickinson had in Lexington.
Kentucky head coach John Calipari and his coaching staff have been busy dishing out offers to high school players in the 2024 and 2025 recruiting classes (another of which came Wednesday afternoon for 2025 five-star point guard Meleek Thomas), but the transfer portal remains the most immediate way Kentucky can boost its chances for a bounce-back 2023-24 season.
Here’s what you need to know about UK and the NCAA transfer portal.
Sahvir Wheeler to transfer to Washington
Former Kentucky point guard Sahvir Wheeler will spend his final season of college basketball playing for the Washington Huskies.
It will be the third school that Wheeler suits up for: He spent two seasons at Georgia before playing for two seasons at Kentucky.
Wheeler’s second season with the Cats ultimately ended in early February when Wheeler sustained an ankle injury during practice. That injury forced Wheeler to miss Kentucky’s final 11 games of the season.
This injury came after Wheeler lost the starting point guard job to freshman Cason Wallace in January.
Wheeler posted per-game averages of 7.7 points and 5.6 assists in 28.5 minutes last season. He missed 13 of UK’s 34 games last season due to injury.
Perhaps most interestingly, Wheeler’s move to the Huskies continues a recent pipeline from Lexington to Seattle. Wheeler joins ex-Cats Quade Green and Keion Brooks as players in recent years to make the move.
Earlier this month, Brooks announced he would return to UW for his final year of eligibility, meaning that a reunion with Wheeler is in the cards.
Hunter Dickinson completes Kentucky recruiting visit
It’s time for the obligatory Hunter Dickinson recruitment update.
Dickinson, the former Michigan star and the consensus top-ranked player in the NCAA transfer portal, visited Kentucky from Sunday through Tuesday. No commitment to the Cats came from Dickinson during his time in Lexington, but none was expected, either.
Dickinson is a hot commodity among high-major college programs, and the list of seriously interested schools includes Georgetown, Maryland, Kansas, Kentucky and Villanova, with ‘Nova expected to be the next recruiting visit Dickinson will take.
The 7-foot-1, left-handed Dickinson played 94 games at Michigan, and was a reliable post presence with per-game averages of 17.2 points and 8.4 rebounds across his three seasons in Ann Arbor.
While Dickinson has played his portal recruitment incredibly close to the vest, the picture is expected to clear up early next week, while UK star Oscar Tshiebwe continues to mull his own stay-or-go professional basketball decision.
UK connected to Southern California transfer
John Calipari and company have been ultra-selective when it comes to transfer portal targets.
Sure, plenty of players may have Kentucky floated as a potential playing destination, but UK has been particular about the players with which it has opened serious discussions.
Dickinson, obviously, tops that list, and UK’s future plans with regard to the transfer portal hinge on whether or not Dickinson becomes a Wildcat.
As far as additional portal targets though, a new one has emerged for Kentucky in recent days.
Former four-star recruit Tre White, a 6-7, 210-pound wing, is in the transfer portal after spending one season at Southern California.
White had per-game averages of 9.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 33 games last season for the Trojans. He was a Pac-12 all-freshman team selection.
A true two-way wing, White has been contacted by several high-major programs, including Kentucky.
The Wildcats certainly figure to have minutes available for a proven college wing like White, given that Jacob Toppin has his name in the NBA Draft and Chris Livingston is in the thick of his stay-or-go NBA Draft decision.
But, given that Livingston has until 11:59 p.m. on May 31 to withdraw from the NBA Draft and retain his NCAA eligibility, it seems highly likely White will pick a new school before Livingston announces his future plans.
