Mark Pope sees shades of Tayshaun Prince in Braydon Hawthorne: 'I can't wait until you guys get to watch him.'

Braydon Hawthorne is the least talked about incoming freshman on this coming season’s Kentucky men’s basketball team, but maybe he shouldn’t be.

Head coach Mark Pope sure likes what’s seen so far out of Hawthorne, a lanky 6-foot-8 wing who received a significant bump in the 2025 recruiting rankings back in the spring. The West Virginia native went from being ranked outside of the top 100 to a clear-cut four-star talent. On3 had him slotted as the 35th-best prospect in his class once the final player rankings came out. That’s right around the same range as Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno, who have received far more buzz as Kentucky commits (although being born and raised in the Bluegrass State helps their case, to be fair).

Had Hawthorne been a top 40 recruit throughout his high school career, his addition to Pope’s team might have been met with more fanfare. But now he’s considered more of a “diamond in the rough” type of find. Pope isn’t tamping down expectations though.

“Braydon Hawthorne, he is a unique player,” Pope said during his media press conference Monday. “I can’t wait until you guys get to watch him and see him on the court. I was with Tayshaun Prince for quite a while, maybe a week ago, and he just — build, body, skillset, there is a whole bunch of Tayshaun Prince in this kid. And I know those are big words. Tayshaun Prince is one of the best players to ever play here and had an incredible NBA career, a championship NBA career.”

Is that a lofty comparison? Of course. Prince is a Kentucky legend and spent over a decade as a real player in the NBA. But just looking at him and Hawthorne from a physical perspective, the similarities check out. Hawthorne is credited at 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan. Prince was listed at 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan. They both live in the mold of being long, skinny, and skilled college wings.

“You rarely talk about a guy’s ankle mobility, but that was the first thing that my performance team said was, ‘His ankle mobility is insane,'” Pope said of Hawthorne. “And when you see him cut and move, that’s the way it feels. He’s kinda all arms and legs but he can change direction and get downhill, he’s got impressive length. He’s going to be really fun.”

If Hawthorne is even half the player Prince was during his time at Kentucky, he won’t be looked over for much longer.

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