After Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats were eliminated in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, a majority of their starters have likely finished their college careers.
But Pope has been quite active in the transfer portal, and on Monday, he landed his third commitment.
Pope found a potential replacement for parting guard Lamont Butler quickly, adding Tulane guard Kam Williams during the second weekend of the tournament. On Saturday, he landed Pittsburgh guard Jaland Lowe as well.
But, still needing a forward, Pope found one from an SEC opponent.
On Monday, On3’s Joe Tipton reported that Kentucky had landed Alabama forward Mouhamed Dioubate.
“BREAKING: Alabama transfer forward Mouhamed Dioubate has committed to Kentucky, he told @On3sports,” Tipton wrote on X. “The 6-7 sophomore averaged 7.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game this season.”
Dioubate, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound sophomore out of Queens, NY, was a four-star prospect in the class of 2023 (247Sports). He ranked as the 24th-best power forward and 104th overall in his class.
The Putnam Science Academy alum didn’t see much action in his freshman season, averaging just 7.7 minutes per game. But, after one full offseason in Tuscaloosa, Dioubate earned more time in 2024-25 and became a key player off the bench.
Dioubate’s minutes jumped to 16.0 per game during his sophomore season, averaging 7.2 points on 61.7% shooting and 5.9 rebounds. His best game in the NCAA Tournament came in Alabama’s first-round win over Robert Morris, tallying 18 points and 10 rebounds.
With a few four-star prospects coming in the 2025 recruiting class, Pope could have a Kentucky roster contending for a championship once again in 2025-26.
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