Makes me feel so good about next season.....
BB: POPE WATCHING DINK PATE
- Thread starter TheResistance
- Start date
Can’t even really care at this point. Get to the sweet 16, that’s all he can do this season. And next season better be a good one.
I’ve been saying all along the Dink Pate hype was always for next season. If he takes the college route he is a Cat. I’d love to have him, especially if we can land Stokes to play along him. It’d be an absolute matchup nightmare for everyone.
Embarrassing. Another terrible look for Pope and his Staff!
How come? And seriously man, I'm not trying to start **** here. If Pate, who is 19, is ruled eligible, he seems like a pretty talented kid
My first question, is any other team recruiting him? Because Pope has lost every elite recruiting battle
i don't think we care how it looks, we want good players
Desperate move by a Coach that couldn't land any High School targets. Terrible Look!
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lol ok buddy relax
only a bad look if he misses again
Just curious
Why???? Other than being a pessimist turd!!!
only a bad look if he misses again
Do you think it's a good look? Be honest.
Once again if we get him its a great look, if he misses its a bad luck because hes a bad recruiter, also dink pate as a player is awesome and might be better than oweh right away, 6'7 guard with elite atleticism and 40% from three on 8 attempts
I see no issue. If it's legal, play ball.
if he was in this class id say anywhere from 15-25
I understand you don't think we land them, but are we officially out on Stokes and Holt? Because either of them changes the equation drastically
I would rather have Pate than all but about the top 5 high school recruits, we just need real talent. He'll be 20 in a few days and has played 3 seasons in the G-league and there are a lot of good former college players in the G - league.
Not sure. He is a 6" 8" guard averaging 17/7/4 in the G league, shooting 38% from three. Can't be all bad
averages near 4 turnovers a game,. bottom line we're.out of options so this is where we are now
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He was in the 2023 class. He was a 4 star (96.61) on On3 and ESPN (29th and 30th ranked prospect respectively) in both services.
He entered the G-League for the 2023-2024 season at 18 and had mediocre numbers. 8 ppg, 3 rbs, 4 asts, 2.5 tos (21.4% 3pp, 72.7% ftp)
Year 2 in G-League improved but still mediocre. 10.1 ppg, 5 rbs, 2 asts, 1.7 tos (26.1% 3pp, 58.1% ftp)
Current year in G-League continued to improve. 16.7 ppg, 6.8 rbs, 3.6 asts, 2.8 tos. (37.4% 3pp, 70% ftp)
He's solid and has great size, length, and athleticism. He isn't a cure all for what hurts UK, but he's a lot better than no recruit at all. It would be unfair to compare him against the current HS class to try and rank him. He'd be a 5 star almost assuredly, but similar sized guards/wings in the current class don't have the muscle and experience Pate's gained from his time in the G-League. Most similar to Christian Collins (in what they were coming out of high school) from this class.
He entered the G-League for the 2023-2024 season at 18 and had mediocre numbers. 8 ppg, 3 rbs, 4 asts, 2.5 tos (21.4% 3pp, 72.7% ftp)
Year 2 in G-League improved but still mediocre. 10.1 ppg, 5 rbs, 2 asts, 1.7 tos (26.1% 3pp, 58.1% ftp)
Current year in G-League continued to improve. 16.7 ppg, 6.8 rbs, 3.6 asts, 2.8 tos. (37.4% 3pp, 70% ftp)
He's solid and has great size, length, and athleticism. He isn't a cure all for what hurts UK, but he's a lot better than no recruit at all. It would be unfair to compare him against the current HS class to try and rank him. He'd be a 5 star almost assuredly, but similar sized guards/wings in the current class don't have the muscle and experience Pate's gained from his time in the G-League. Most similar to Christian Collins (in what they were coming out of high school) from this class.
I hope Pope doesn't further fatigue himself making this trip.
It's he better than Trent Noah and Jasper Johnson? Because if the answer is yes, we could use him
kids one of the youngest people in the g league and is torching teams with guys like hunter dickinson, big o, and antonio reeves, he's good
Better scorer and defender, worse turnover machine. From what I've seen of him, smaller, quicker guards get some easy steals off him and he forces "highlight" passes that sometimes don't connect. He's considerably better as a wing SF than as a 2 guard on both sides of the ball. Haven't dug deep into him, just a little film and some light reading. But I have heard from multiple people that IF he chooses to go to college (and is cleared), UK is his only choice. But he's still on the fence about staying in the G-League. So who knows.
How can a G league player be eligible though? I know the NIL changed the landscape but still, I don't get it. I highly doubt the NCAA will make him eligible. Hypothetically, let's say he becomes eligible, as soon as another high profile program starts recruiting him, goodbye Kentucky because Pope sucks on closing the deal.
He never went to college or played in the NBA, he went straight from high school to the G-League. There are several former G-League players on NCAA rosters currently. Just a few notable ones below from this season.
- Thierry Darlan (Santa Clara): A former G League Ignite player from the Central African Republic who became the first to obtain eligibility, joining as a junior.
- London Johnson (Louisville): A former four-star recruit who played three seasons in the G League Ignite before signing with Louisville.
- Charles Bediako (Alabama): Returned to Alabama in January 2026 after playing in the G League, securing eligibility via a temporary restraining order. His case was dismissed and he currently isn't allowed to play for Alabama.
- Abdullah Ahmed (BYU): A 6'10" center who played for the Westchester Knicks before committing to BYU.
- James Nnaji (Baylor): A 2023 NBA draft pick who played professionally in Europe before being cleared to play for Baylor in December 2025.
We will probably spend like 10mil to secure Pate and Stokes and then they will play a combined 7 games.
I think we end with Stokes, Tanner from the portal, Holt and Pate then a couple of other complimentary pieces from the portal and a preseason top 5 ranking. Next year is gonna be a lot of fun fellas. Best UK team since 2015. Mark it down. That team loses 2-3 games max. Tanner, Chandler, Stokes, Holt and Moreno with Pate as your 6th man is a scary proposition for opponents.