Pope made perhaps the most extensive recruiting trip of his Kentucky tenure this past week, traveling to Israel to watch Marcio Santos in person.
Santos is a 6-foot-8 center for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, originally from Brazil, and has represented his home country in several international basketball competitions.
His profile combines professional experience in one of Europe’s most respected programs with a strong international résumé developed through Brazil’s national team system. That blend of size, physicality, and high-level experience makes him an intriguing evaluation target for programs like Kentucky, which are still shaping their roster for the upcoming season.
Pope’s decision to watch him in person during a trip to Israel underscores the staff’s commitment to thorough scouting and global reach as they assess potential frontcourt additions.
The 23-year-old Santos—who has also previously played professionally in his native Brazil and Germany—has built a steady production profile at the EuroLeague level with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
This season, he is averaging 6.9 points and 1.6 rebounds across 37 EuroLeague games, while shooting an impressive 40% from three-point range, a mark that stands out for a frontcourt player. His combination of size, floor spacing ability, and international experience has made him a noteworthy scouting target for programs like Kentucky as they evaluate potential frontcourt additions.
Santos’ career path also adds to his appeal. With experience in Brazil, Germany, and now one of Europe’s top clubs in Maccabi Tel Aviv, he brings a level of professional maturity uncommon for many prospects in his age range.
Santos entered the 2023 NBA Draft but went unselected, ultimately going undrafted that year.
Following the draft, he still managed to gain exposure at the NBA level by appearing in several Summer League games with the Atlanta Hawks, where he continued to showcase his size, mobility, and perimeter skill set against other young prospects and fringe NBA players.
That combination of draft experience, Summer League minutes, and his broader professional background in Brazil, Germany, and Israel adds further context to his profile as a seasoned international big man still working to position himself within the NBA pipeline.
Santos would represent a notable international addition to Kentucky’s roster, as he would become the first Brazilian player in the program’s men’s basketball history.
His arrival would also further reshape the Wildcats’ frontcourt for the 2026–27 season. With his combination of size, professional experience, and floor-spacing ability, Santos would add another versatile piece to what is expected to be a retooled group of bigs in Lexington. In that context, his potential fit highlights Kentucky’s continued push to blend international talent with portal additions as it builds out a more modern, flexible roster under Mark Pope.
From this past season’s roster, Kentucky is set to lose significant frontcourt depth, as forwards Mouhamed Dioubate, Brandon Garrison, Andrija Jelavic, and Jayden Quaintance are all moving on.
Dioubate, Garrison, and Jelavic have entered the NCAA transfer portal and will suit up for new programs next season. Both Dioubate and Garrison are remaining in the SEC, with Dioubate transferring to LSU and Garrison heading to Alabama, while Jelavic is set to join Ohio State in the Big Ten.
Their departures leave Kentucky with major turnover in the frontcourt rotation heading into the 2026–27 season, further increasing the importance of incoming additions and roster reconstruction under Mark Pope.
Incoming players for the Cats next season include forwards Justin McBride and Ousmane N’Diaye. McBride is coming off a breakout season at James Madison following previous college stops at Oklahoma State and Nevada. N’Diaye is a 22-year-old from Senegal who is playing professionally in Italy.
