Deron Rippey Jr. includes Kentucky in list cut after meeting with Mark Pope

Want a sign things went well for Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats after meeting with 2026 five-star guard Deron Rippey Jr.? Well, just look at his cat if you’re worried about the blue and white. That looks like a Cat holding a cat, surrounded by Cats, if you ask me.

We got one step closer to that possibility on Thursday when the 6-foot-2 point guard out of Blair Academy (NJ) — the former home of Kentucky star Otega Oweh — cut his list of schools down to ten and included the Wildcats.

Indiana and Kansas are no longer in consideration while the remaining finalists are Alabama, Duke, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Syracuse, Tennessee, and Texas.

Pope was joined by Alvin Brooks III and Jason Hart in Brooklyn for the in-home visit with Rippey on Wednesday. Duke, led by Jon Scheyer, Tyler Thornton and Rachel Baker, also met with the standout prospect and his father to open the recruiting period.

Rippey is rated as the No. 8 overall prospect and No. 2 point guard in the Rivals Top 150. He’s taken official visits to Miami (FL) and North Carolina, with the following schedule still to come:

• Alabama (September 12-14)
• Texas (September 19-21)
• Syracuse (September 26-28)
• Kentucky (Oct. 3-5)
• Indiana (October 17-19)
• Tennessee (October 25-26)
• Kansas (November 1-3)
• NC State (November 7-9)

“I love how (Kentucky) continued on the winning program after Coach (John) Calipari left,” Rippey recently told KSR. “Mark Pope, I think he’s a very high-level coach, he’s a guard’s coach, he’s just an overall savant of the game of basketball. Using that terminology, I think I’m a high-level point guard that can think the game fast, so being able to play for a coach like that will be important for me.”

What is the five-star guard looking for in a school?

“I definitely value play style and definitely my impact on freshman year, role freshman year,” he said. “I feel like I can impact the court any way freshman year, come in and play good minutes to help my team get a couple wins. Definitely a coach that likes to play free and lets their guards play free. I like to get downhill and get others involved, play at a fast pace.”

Mark Pope certainly hopes he is that coach, getting Rippey to suit up for the Wildcats in Lexington.

Kentucky’s Official Visit Schedule

Maximo Adams: Sept. 5-6
Caleb Holt: Sept. 5-7
Cole Cloer: Sept. 17-18
Anthony Thompson: Sept. 24
Arafan Diane: Sept. 26-27
Cam Williams: Sept. 26-28
Deron Rippey Jr.: Oct. 3-5
Christian Collins: Oct. 3-5
Bryson Howard: Oct. 4-6
Ethan Taylor: Oct. 10-12
Josh Irving: Oct. 10-12
Jordan Smith Jr.: Oct. 10-12