The college basketball season wrapped up in early April after an exciting Final Four. Houston edged out Duke, while Florida defeated Auburn. Todd Golden and the Florida Gators emerged as NCAA Tournament champions.
It was a proud moment for the SEC, which sent 14 teams to the Big Dance. One team expected to contend again in the 2025-26 season is the Kentucky Wildcats. They have been active this offseason, working the transfer portal and recruiting trail under head coach Mark Pope.
Jacob Polacheck of On3 Sports shared an update Saturday on one recruit Pope is pursuing: Baba Oladotun, the top-ranked player in the class of 2027.
In a recent conversation, his father was nearly moved to tears by Pope’s approach: “Everything that’s happening to him is very historic.”
NEW: No. 2-ranked Baba Oladotun’s father told KSR+ that he was “almost brought to tears” by Mark Pope’s first season at Kentucky.
“Everything that’s happening to him is very historic.”
FREE: https://t.co/4LLsMz1M1Epic.twitter.com/RCzQPxjkyR
— Jacob Polacheck (@PolacheckKSR) May 17, 2025
Oladotun, a 6-foot-8 forward from James Hubert Blake High School in Silver Spring, Maryland, is the No. 1 recruit in ESPN’s class of 2027 rankings. While several programs have shown strong interest, Kentucky and Pope appear to be making the biggest impression.
Oladotun and his father, Ibrahim, recently traveled to Memphis for a Nike EYBL event, where the elder Oladotun shared his thoughts on Pope’s recruitment.
“I was blown away. It almost brought me to tears,” Ibrahim Oladotun said. “Everything that’s happening to him is very historic. That’s just remarkable. Kentucky basketball, bluegrass and all of that stuff are a big deal. It’s living the dream.”
Playing for Team Durant at the Nike EYBL, Baba Oladotun scored 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting, adding four rebounds and four assists. His team lost a tight 74-71 contest, but his performance in front of Pope was noteworthy.
Ibrahim continued to praise Kentucky and its coaching staff.
“It’s a great program. It’s probably one of the best in the country,” he said. “To match that with Coach Pope, that’s incredible. I like his energy. He also has NBA experience. It’s a very good program. It doesn’t get better. They’re the blue bloods.”
Starting June 15, coaches will be permitted to directly contact players in the class of 2027. However, Ibrahim doesn’t expect much to change in how their family handles the recruiting process.
“I definitely want to handle all the calls,” he explained. “I want him to focus on just being a kid and keep working. I’m going to handle that. We’re going to tell everyone the same thing. I mean, he’s 16. Remember, he’s 16. Some of these kids are 18.
“We’re going to listen to what everybody has to say and let them know what we’re looking for. Then, we’ll go from there.”
The Wildcats are coming off a 24-12 season, including a 10-8 mark in SEC play. Their season ended with a 78-65 loss to Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.
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