Kentucky Basketball has received a potentially significant boost in its pursuit of Missouri transfer Mark Mitchell.
Following Friday’s court injunction in Louisville, Mitchell has officially entered the NCAA transfer portal, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. Perhaps even more notable is that Mitchell entered the portal with a do-not-contact tag, a move that could indicate the former Duke and Missouri forward already has a preferred destination in mind.
For Kentucky, this is an encouraging development at a crucial point in the Wildcats’ search for their final roster addition.
The news comes just one day after Michigan State transfer Jaxon Kohler, another major Kentucky target, announced that he would return home and play for BYU. With Kohler now off the board, Kentucky’s attention has shifted even more toward Mitchell.
The Wildcats had been unable to directly contact Mitchell because he was not officially in the NCAA transfer portal. That changed after Friday’s court ruling, opening the door for Kentucky and other programs to communicate with him directly.
Mitchell’s recruitment has already appeared to be relatively limited. Before Kohler made his decision, On3’s Joe Tipton spoke with KSR’s Jack Pilgrim about Mitchell’s situation and provided some important insight into where things stand.
According to Tipton, he had “not heard any other school mentioned” for Mitchell outside of Missouri and Kentucky. That would seemingly make this recruitment much easier to follow, especially considering the current circumstances surrounding the Tigers.
Missouri’s roster is already full, meaning the Tigers would have to make additional moves if they wanted to bring Mitchell back to Columbia. Kentucky, meanwhile, has intentionally kept its 15th roster spot open while Mark Pope and his staff continue to evaluate potential opportunities.
“I do think Missouri is exploring the potential of him coming back to CoMo and what that would look like; as their roster is currently full, they would have to move some things around,” Tipton said.
Tipton also suggested that the recruitment could ultimately come down to Mitchell choosing between his current program and the Wildcats.
“I think it would basically be a decision between going back to Mizzou or Kentucky,” Tipton said.
That would obviously be excellent news for Kentucky, especially considering how aggressively the Wildcats have pursued Mitchell.
Mitchell spent his first two college seasons at Duke before transferring to Missouri, where he played for two more seasons. He has significant high-level experience and would bring another versatile forward to Kentucky’s roster.
But perhaps the most encouraging part of Friday’s news is the fact that Mitchell went through the process of entering the transfer portal in the first place.
If Mitchell were completely committed to returning to Missouri, there would be little reason for him to take this step. Entering the portal gives him the opportunity to explore other options, and Kentucky appears to be one of the most serious possibilities.
The do-not-contact designation makes the situation even more intriguing. While it does not guarantee that Mitchell has already selected Kentucky, it could suggest that his recruitment is more advanced than a typical transfer-portal process.
Tipton previously pointed to Mitchell’s willingness to take legal action to gain access to the portal as evidence of how serious he is about exploring his options.
“The action that has been taken on the Mitchell side, going to court to enter the transfer portal, shows you how interested they are in a potential school like Kentucky,” Tipton said.
Now, Kentucky finally has the opportunity to make its case directly.
With Kohler committed to BYU and Missouri needing to create roster space for Mitchell, the Wildcats appear to be in a favorable position. Nothing is official yet, and Mitchell still has a decision to make, but the latest developments certainly give Kentucky fans plenty of reason to be optimistic.
If this recruitment truly comes down to Kentucky and Missouri, the Wildcats have to like their chances. Mark Pope has one roster spot remaining, Mitchell appears to be one of the staff’s top priorities, and Kentucky can now finally pursue him directly.
For a team looking to make one final addition, this could be the breakthrough Kentucky has been waiting for.
