The Kentucky basketball coaching staff has been reaching out to some elite players in the transfer portal, but it is clear the position the staff is focusing on is guard.
The staff has reached out to multiple guards, some off-ball and some on-ball, so far during the portal window
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One of the latest guards John Calipari has reached out to is former Stetson Hatter Jalen Blackmon, who was one of the nation’s best scorers this season.
Blackmon has heard from several schools, including Kansas, Texas, Indiana, Mississippi State, and UCLA.
This season for the Hatters, Blackmon averaged 21.3 points per game, which is good for tenth best in all of college hoops.
He only averaged 1.9 assists per game, so he is a score-first guard, but that is what Kentucky is looking for in the portal.
He shot 38.1% from three last season, which was up the season prior, as during the 2022-23 season, Blackmon shot 33.6% from deep. Blackmon is also an elite free throw shooter as he shot 90.7% from the line.
Kentucky had really good free throw shooting guards this seaosn which helped in clutch moments. If Kentucky lands Blackmon, that will be the case next season as well.
Another thing that could help the Wildcats is that Blackmon’s father, James Blackmon Sr., played basketball at Kentucky from 1983 to 1987.
The next steps for the Wildcats are to get Blackmon on campus for a visit and, hopefully, land one of the best scorers in the transfer portal.
