Active Kentucky Transfers: Where Are They Now?
In John Calipari’s time as head coach at the University of Kentucky (2009-present), 19 different players have transferred to a different school to finish their playing careers. Three of those transfers (Sacha Killeya-Jones, Dillon Pulliam, and Tai Wynyard) never even saw the court for their new school.
Of the transfers who did see the court at their new schools, Kyle Wiltjer and Johnny Juzang would go down as the two most successful. Wiltjer, who was named SEC Sixth Man of the Year after his sophomore season in the Commonwealth, blossomed into a Consensus Second Team All-American upon transferring to Gonzaga. Wiltjer was named to the WCC First-Team and won WCC Tournament MOP both of his years in Spokane.
Juzang, a four-star recruit from Los Angeles, played just one season in Lexington. Stuck behind All-SEC guards Tyrese Maxey and Immanuel Quickley, Juzang rejuvenated his career upon transferring home to UCLA. The 6’6″ stretch-guard led the Bruins on an improbable Final Four run in 2021 and was named First Team All-Pac-12 in 2022.
Seven Kentucky transfers are still currently active in college basketball, some doing better than others.
Zan Payne (Louisville)
The least heralded of the seven transfers, Zan Payne followed his father Kenny to rival Louisville last offseason.
Payne saw the floor in 11 different games during his time at Kentucky, averaging 0.9 PPG & 0.4 RPG. His best game as a Wildcat came on November 16, 2021, where he scored four points in Kentucky’s 80-55 victory over Mount St. Mary’s.
Upon transferring to Louisville, it was expected that Payne would see the court just a little more than he did at Kentucky. While that is true, his numbers don’t really show it. The redshirt senior guard is averaging 0.3 PPG, 0.7 RPG and 0.1 APG in 15 games played under his father. His best game as a Cardinal came on November 22, 2022, where he scored three of Louisville’s 38 total points in a 32-point beatdown by the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Poor Louisville.
Dontaie Allen (Western Kentucky)
A fan-favorite in the Bluegrass, Pendleton County’s own Dontaie Allen never panned out at Big Blue.
Allen averaged 3.9 PPG in 41 games played at Kentucky. His best moments came against Mississippi State during the 2020-21 COVID season, where he lit the Bulldogs up for 23 points in their regular season and SEC Tournament matchups. 13 of Allen’s 38 3-pointers made at Kentucky came in those two games.
Last season, Allen saw his role completely diminished by the end of the season. Seeing the writing on the wall, he would make a lateral move three hours down the road to Western Kentucky, where success was expected of the former Kentucky Mr. Basketball.
In 15 games played this season, Allen has failed to make much of an impact at The Hill. The redshirt junior is averaging 6.0 PPG, 1.9 RPG, and 0.3 APG. He made headlines earlier this season when he was held out of Western Kentucky’s game against Akron due to eligibility issues during his time at Kentucky. Allen’s best game at WKU came in a drumming of Kentucky State on November 12, 2022, where he scored 15 of Western’s 127 total points. Allen was one of six Hilltoppers to score in double figures.
Cam’Ron Fletcher (Florida State)
Cam’Ron Fletcher, a consensus four-star forward from St. Louis, had a weird career at Kentucky.
Fletcher, a part of that 2020 recruiting class, made an instant impact for the ‘Cats. In Kentucky’s first game of the season against Morehead State, he contributed nine points and five rebounds in 17 minutes of action. He was expected to be a solid part of the rotation, but this was not the case.
Kentucky would drop their next six games in a row, and Fletcher would play in only three of their remaining 18 games following the North Carolina game incident. He scored more points in Kentucky’s season opener than he would the rest of the entire season combined. As expected, the 6’6″ forward transferred following the conclusion of the season. Former Kentucky assistant coach Leonard Hamilton welcomed him in with open arms at Florida State.
In his first season as a Seminole, Fletcher averaged 6.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 0.9 APG. He was expected to make the leap this season to a great player in the ACC, but that was not the case. Just 10 games into the season, Fletcher suffered a season-ending right knee injury in the Seminoles’ 62-57 loss to Virginia on December 3, 2022. His best game as a ‘Nole occurred on November 21, 2022, just a week before his season-ending injury. Fletcher scored 23 points and grabbed six rebounds in a win over Mercer.
Jemarl Baker (Fresno State)
Wait, Jemarl Baker is still in college?
Baker was the lowest-rated recruit in Kentucky’s Class of 2017, which featured guys like Nick Richards, P.J. Washington, Kevin Knox, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Gilgeous-Alexander is currently in the midst of his fifth NBA season, and Baker is in the midst of his sixth season of college basketball.
Baker missed the 2017-18 season after undergoing knee surgery in October 2017. He was granted a medical redshirt and saw his first game action at Kentucky in December 2018. Baker would appear in 28 games for the ‘Cats, averaging 2.3 PPG. His best performance came against Wofford in the 2019 NCAA Tournament, where Baker’s eight points off the bench helped propel the ‘Cats to the Sweet 16.
Baker transferred to Arizona following the 2018-19 season, where he would average 7.4 PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 2.1 APG in two seasons in Tucson. After graduating from the University, Baker transferred once again. He would take his talents to Fresno State, where has been for the last two seasons.
In his sixth and final season of college basketball (we think), Baker is averaging 10.9 PPG, 2.4 APG, and 2.4 RPG. His best game of the season came in a return to the SEC, where he scored 22 points in Fresno’s 67-59 loss to Vanderbilt on November 24, 2022.
Devin Askew (California)
Oh boy.
Devin Askew was the third-highest recruit in Kentucky’s 2020 recruiting class, which was unanimously ranked #1 in the country. Things, however, didn’t go to plan.
The 2020-21 team was the worst in the history of Kentucky Basketball, and a chunk of that blame fell on the point guard.
In just one season at UK, Askew averaged 6.5 PPG and 2.9 APG. He struggled most of the year, leading to his benching in the last two games of the season. Although the freshman faced tons of opposition, he continuously reiterated his desire to stay in the program. In an interview with KSR in March 2020, Askew said, “I live on the West Coast, but I don’t play like a West Coast player at all. Nope. I play like an East Coast kid. I like to be physical, that’s just my game. Even though those are all great players (Johnny Juzang, Jemarl Baker and Kyle Wiltjer) and they all had fun while they were at Kentucky, they just wanted to do something that was better for them. But I’m different.”
That was not the case.
After Askew’s father repeatedly said that he was “locked in” for the 2021-22 season, Devin entered the transfer portal on April 5, 2021. Askew was headed to the University of Texas, and nobody was more excited than former Longhorn coach Chris Beard (…).
“I know he’s one of the best young players in college basketball,” Beard said in October 2021. “There’s going to be a major role for him on this year’s team. … I don’t want to put all the weight on his shoulders, but I’ve got no problem telling you if he stays the course, he’ll end up being one of the all-time greats.”
Askew failed to pan out in Austin, averaging just 2.1 PPG and 1.3 APG in 34 games played in the 2021-22 season. Last offseason, Askew transferred again, this time to Cal. Although Devin is averaging career highs in points (15.5), rebounds (3.4), and assists (3.0), the Golden Bears are a lowly 3-18. His best game this season came on December 4, 2022, where he scored 25 points in an 81-68 loss to Arizona.
Bryce Hopkins (Providence)
After the dreadful 2020-21 season, a change had to be made. Seven new Wildcats were added to last season’s roster, looking to right the wrongs from a season before. Bryce Hopkins, a 6-foot-7 forward from Oak Park (IL), impressed in preseason workouts but struggled to carve out a role behind Daimion Collins, Jacob Toppin, and Keion Brooks Jr.
B-Hop played in 28 games at Kentucky, averaging 2.1 PPG and 1.4 RPG. His shining moment came against LSU on February 23, 2022, where he provided a much-needed spark with 13 points off the bench to help knock off the Tigers at Rupp.
It was a foregone conclusion, but Hopkins announced his intent to transfer on April 7, 2022. He took his talents to the Big East, where he would shine.
In 22 games played this season for Providence, Hopkins is averaging a near double-double with 16.4 PPG, 9.1 RPG, and 2.3 APG. He is fourth in the league in scoring and second in rebounding, putting himself well in the running for Big East Player of the Year and making a case to be named an All-American. Hopkins has blossomed into a star and has the Friars firmly planted in the upcoming NCAA Tournament (Joe Lunardi has them listed as a six-seed as of 1/31).
Keion Brooks Jr. (Washington)
Last but not least, Keion Brooks Jr.
When it’s all said and done, Keion will be remembered by the college basketball world as a Kentucky Wildcat.
Brooks spent three seasons in Lexington, averaging 8.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 0.8 APG. His performance against Kansas last season was nothing short of legendary, scoring 27 points in Kentucky’s 80-62 rout of the eventual national champions. Following last season’s devastating loss to St. Peters, the consensus was that Brooks would take his talents to the NBA.
After declaring for the 2022 NBA Draft, he rescinded his name and announced that he would be transferring to Washington.
Brooks has experienced a career renaissance in Seattle, averaging 17.9 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 1.3 APG in 21 games played for the Huskies this season. Brooks ranks second in scoring and eighth in rebounding in the Pac-12, putting himself in position to be named First or Second Team All-Pac-12 at the conclusion of the season. His decision to transfer has no doubt opened more eyes on his path to professional basketball.
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