A new era began in Lexington last season. After nearly 15 years at the helm, Hall of Famer John Calipari stepped down, closing the book on one of the most influential coaching tenures in Kentucky history. In his place came Mark Pope, a younger, hungry coach with limited March Madness success. In his debut season, Mark Pope led the Wildcats to a Sweet 16, something the program had been missing in recent years. Now, with expectations soaring in Lexington, Pope might have just found the one player who can help turn those hopes into reality.
Mark Pope and the Kentucky staff made some strong moves in the transfer portal, putting key pieces around Otega Oweh, who’s primed for an All-American level campaign. But the crown jewel of their offseason haul? No doubt, it’s Jayden Quaintance. The 6-foot-10 forward was originally set to join Kentucky under John Calipari, but everything changed when Coach Cal left for Arkansas. He then pledged to Arizona instead, but his family always maintained that they wanted their son to return to Lexington. And after a year, Quaintance is finally suiting up in blue and white with a $ 2 million NIL deal, and will be a huge boost for Coach Pope.
Lance Dawe of the Locked On UConn podcast seems to agree. He said, “The biggest one out of all of them (transfer portal additions) is Jaden Quaintance. We need to acknowledge just how bad Kentucky was… a season ago, and just how much better they are likely going to be at both of those things this season because of one player in JQ.”
Before his ACL injury, Jayden Quaintance was already making a big noise. Last season, he earned a spot on both the Big 12 All-Freshman and All-Defensive teams, becoming just the fifth player in conference history to pull that off. He put up 9.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game in just 29 minutes. And the most impressive part? He did it all as the youngest player in college basketball, joining Arizona State at just 16 after graduating high school early.
NCAA, College League, USA Basketball: Auburn at Kentucky Mar 1, 2025 Lexington, Kentucky, USA Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope looks on during the first half against the Auburn Tigers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Lexington Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center Kentucky USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJordanxPratherx 20250301_cec_li0_059
Last season, Kentucky struggled badly on defense. They ranked 304th in the country in points allowed, giving up 77.2 points per game. A shocking stat for a blue blood program. The Cats were also ranked 51 in the nation for adjusted defensive efficiency. It was clear something had to change.
Enter Jayden Quaintance, who might just be the best defender in college basketball right now. His shot-blocking ability stood out all year. Quaintance had at least one block in 21 games, including 11 games with three or more. He even recorded five blocks in three different games. There’s no doubt about the fact that Quaintance is going to make a huge difference for Kentucky’s defense next season. His presence in the paint alone should help turn things around in a big way.
One basketball statistician believes Mark Pope has put a real emphasis on defense after last season’s struggles. And the early signs? The Wildcats look much more solid on that end of the floor, at least on paper, heading into the new season.
Basketball analyst praises Mark Pope and co
Evan Miyakawa, the college basketball statistician who identified Kentucky’s defensive struggles last year, has noticed that Mark Pope is taking a strong defensive approach with his offseason additions from the transfer portal. Alongside Quaintance, Mouhamed Dioubate from Alabama is also considered a major defensive boost for Mark Pope’s side.
According to Miyakawa’s transfer portal rankings on EvanMiya.com, Dioubate and Quaintance both rank in the top four for Defensive Bayesian Performance Rating. This metric measures a player’s defensive impact by showing how many defensive points they save per 100 possessions compared to the Division I average.
Miyakawa projects Quaintance to be the best defensive transfer portal addition of the offseason across all schools, with a projected DBPR of 3.86. Dioubate isn’t far behind either, with a projected DBPR of 2.78. Together, these additions are sure to help make Kentucky’s defense much stronger than it was last season. Can Mark Pope live up to the high expectations with these new defensive additions? Only time will tell!
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