When Kentucky basketball changed head coaches this offseason to Mark Pope, they had to build their roster from scratch. They brought in a number of talented transfers, but the centerpiece of the new squad was Jaxson Robinson, who played for Pope at BYU, and who ESPN recently ranked as a top 100 draft prospect.
With his experience in Pope’s system, and his obvious abilities, he considered to be the final piece of the puzzle. Fans were as excited as the coaches to gain his commitment.
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Robinson is obviously an important player, and that’s why ESPN ranked him among the top 100 college basketball players. Analysts Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf ranked the new Wildcat as the number 50 player going into the season.
Here’s what they had to say:
After withdrawing from the NBA draft, Robinson (14.2 PPG) followed Mark Pope to Kentucky, where he’ll join a group of transfers aiming to make the Wildcats competitive in their first year without John Calipari. Robinson has to be more consistent in Lexington (he shot just 30% from 3 in Big 12 play last season), but his best performances — see: 18 points, 4-for-9 from beyond the arc in a win over Kansas in 2023-24 — showed he can be one of the top players in his new conference.
Robinson will be one of the leaders for this year’s Kentucky team. He is a talented player who could have a big season, and ESPN thinks he’s one of the better players in the nation.