Kentucky reportedly contacts Duke transfer forward TJ Power
Kentucky head coach Mark Pope has reached out to another former Duke player. This time, it’s 6-foot-9 freshman forward TJ Power.
League Ready was first to report the news on Tuesday. Kentucky has also previously reached out to fellow Duke transfers Sean Stewart (still available) and Jeremy Roach (since committed to Baylor).
Power played sparingly during his rookie season with the Blue Devils in 2023-24, averaging just 2.1 points and 0.7 rebounds in seven minutes per outing across 26 appearances. The former Top 20 recruit from the class of 2023 will have three years of eligibility remaining. He entered his name into the portal on April 18.
According to League Ready, along with the Wildcats, the likes of Arkansas, Michigan, BYU, Wake Forest, Southern California, Miami (FL), Notre Dame, West Virginia, Boston College, and Iowa have also reached out to Power. Playing high school ball out of Worcester Academy (MA), he originally chose Duke over a group of finalists that included Iowa, Virginia, Boston College, and North Carolina.
Power was part of a four-man recruiting class for Duke head coach Jon Scheyer going into the 2023-24 campaign. But he and Stewart were not part of the Blue Devils’ rotation throughout the season. Power’s best outing came against La Salle when he scored nine points (on three 3-pointers) in six minutes. He also scored seven points in a four-minute span in a loss to North Carolina.
Here is what On3 wrote about Power as a player when he was still in high school:
“TJ Power has a toughness about him. At 6-foot-8, that is one of the first things you notice in his game. As the game progresses, you see the full skill set. He is an excellent passer, able to initiate off the rebound or line up across multiple areas on the floor and make plays. The footspeed will be a question, but he understands angles and help-defense. We would like to see Power more aggressively look to score at times, but his ability to fill a stat sheet makes everyone on the floor better. Power is also a baseball pitching prospect.”
Perhaps a change in scenery is exactly what Power needs to unlock his full abilities. Could that change come in Lexington?
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