After 10 seasons as a college head coach, Mark Pope produced his first NBA Draft picks Thursday night as Kentucky guard Koby Brea and center Amari Williams were each selected in the second round.
Taking an early look ahead to 2026, ESPN has Pope picking up right were he left off in 2025.
ESPN has Wildcats center and Arizona State transfer Jayden Quaintance as the top returner in college basketball and going No. 6 overall to the Memphis Grizzlies. ESPN also has Kentucky sophomore forward and Tulane transfer Kam Williams going 46th.
After originally signing with Kentucky out of high school in 2023, the Wildcats made one of the biggest splashes in the portal this offseason by landing the Arizona State transfer out of the transfer portal on April 8.
Ranked as the No. 10 overall transfer and top-ranked center in the transfer portal by 247Sports, Quaintance (6-9, 230) was named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team and All-Freshman Team after averaging 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.6 blocks while starting all 24 games in which he appeared for the Sun Devils as a freshman this season.
At just 17 years old, he scored in double figures 11 times, including a career-high 20 points vs. UCF, and logged six double-doubles.
Quaintance entered the transfer portal on April 2 and committed to the Wildcats again just six days later.
Quaintance suffered a season-ending knee injury vs. Kansas State on Feb. 23, a game in which he recorded 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting and 2 of 4 3-pointers, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in 26 minutes, forcing him to miss Arizona State's final six games. He underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL on March 19 and is expected to be cleared for contact in September.
Williams, who is ranked as the No. 42 overall transfer and No. 6 small forward by 247Sports, averaged 9.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.1 blocks while shooting 41.2% from 3-point range while starting 28 of 33 games as a freshman for the Green Wave last season. On the year, Williams made 63 of 153 attempts from beyond the arc.
The Lafayette, La. native scored in double figures 14 times this season, including a season-high 24 points on 6 of 8 3-point shooting in an 85-68 win over UAB in the regular season finale on March 9.
Since 2010, no school has produced more total NBA Draft picks (51) than Kentucky. Since the NBA went to a two-round draft in 1989, the Wildcats now have the most players drafted overall with 67, 48 of which have come in the first round.
UK has also had at least one player selected in 18 consecutive NBA Drafts, the longest active streak of any school. Prior to 2025, Kentucky had a first round pick in 15 straight drafts, the longest streak in the common era. The Cats have also produced multiple draft picks in 16 consecutive drafts, the most of any school.