Former Duke PG Jeremy Roach Transfers to Baylor

The Baylor basketball program has become an unexpected nuisance for the Kentucky Wildcats this offseason.

The Wildcats courted head coach Scott Drew. It turned into a big stink in Waco when Drew shared a picture of himself eating at a local Latin restaurant while his family toured Lexington. The next day he announced he was staying at Baylor. To rub salt in the wound, he returned to that booth and signed his autograph, prompting one person on the beat to remark that Drew has shown more personality in one offseason than he did over the last 21 years.

Scott Drew took another victory lap on Sunday. Former Duke point guard Jeremy Roach announced on Instagram that he will play for the Bears.

When Roach entered the portal, Baylor wasn’t even a top option. We were looking at the first three-way recruiting battle between Mark Pope, John Calipari, and Rick Pitino. Kentucky, Arkansas, and St. John’s lost out after Baylor upped the financial commitment.

Over four years at Duke, Roach scored just under 1,500 career points. He was a team captain in each of Jon Scheyer’s two seasons as the Blue Devils’ coach. Last year Roach averaged 14.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 46.8% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc. Roach is one of seven Duke players to enter the transfer portal so far this season.

Who’s next for Kentucky?

With Roach off the board, it’s difficult to discern who are Kentucky’s top point guard prospects in the transfer portal. Mark Pope has put an early emphasis on size, securing a commitment from Amari Williams after the British big man officially visited over the weekend. Pope also recently made a face-to-face visit with Great Osobor, the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year from Utah State.

The frontcourt is trending in the right direction. As for point guard, we know of a few players who have been contacted by Kentucky. Saint Mary’s Aidan Mahaney, Utah’s Deivon Smith, Oklahoma State’s Javon Small, and Texas Tech’s Pop Isaacs are all options. How much has Kentucky invested in each player? Is the interest mutual? Those are questions that will likely be answered in the next week.

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