Kentucky coach Mark Pope officially added another player to his roster on Tuesday.
Drexel forward Amari Williams, the Coastal Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year for the past three seasons, officially joined the Wildcats. Williams made a visit to Lexington last weekend and made his decision known Tuesday.
As a senior last season at Drexel, the 6-foot-11 Williams averaged 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game for the Dragons. He started all 32 games and was a first team all-conference performer.
Pope said Williams “looks like a man among boys on the court.”
“He is bringing a big presence to the game and is going to serve as a rim-protector and rebounder. Amari is a gifted defensive player who can switch onto any position, one through five, which will add security to how everybody else feels on the court.”
Williams also has potential on offense and is skilled in the post.
“Offensively, he is dangerous at the rim and he’s one of the special passers in college basketball,” Pope said. “Amari can make all of the reads, all of the passes, all of the plays and he fits into exactly what we want to do on either end of the court.”
Williams joins BYU transfer Collin Chandler as Pope’s first two additions to the 2024-25 roster. Kentucky Mr. Basketball and Lyon County standout Travis Perry re-affirmed his commitment in a social media post on Monday night.
Ugonna Onyenso, who declared he was all-in on entering the NBA Draft, changed his mind and entered the transfer portal Tuesday, according to multiple sources, including Jeff Borzello.