It looks like we have the first matchup of the Mark Pope era between the Louisville Cardinals and the Kentucky Wildcats.
Aly Khalifa, a center for the BYU Cougars, joined the transfer portal with a “Do not contact” tag when Pope was revealed to the UK. Later, it was rumored that he will go to Louisville.
Joe Tipton of On3 claims that Khalifa has already narrowed his list of possibilities to Kentucky, Louisville, and a return to BYU.
This season, in 19.4 minutes a game, the 6-foot-11, 270-pound product of Egypt averaged 5.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists while shooting 38.6% from the field and 31.5% from 3-point range. He spent the first two seasons of his career at Charlotte.
This information coincides with rumors that Amari Williams, a Drexel transfer, will be visiting Kentucky later this month. It’s unknown if Mark Pope plans to try to add both or one of the big men to the squad the following year.
Khalifa scored 14 points on 5/7 shooting (4/6 from long) with seven rebounds, seven assists, a block, and a steal in BYU’s victory over Baylor on February 20. Among the top passing big men in collegiate basketball is him.
