A former top-50 recruit has caught Mark Pope’s eye.
The majority of the 2024-25 Kentucky Basketball is finished, but there are still four open scholarship spots. For that reason, we’re going to see Kentucky kicking the tires on just about every available option that emerges over the next month to fill those final spots.
We’ve got a new one to monitor in the form of UCLA Bruins forward Berke Buyuktuncel, who entered the transfer portal on Tuesday.
Per Jon Rothstein, Kentucky is among a host of schools that’ve contacted Berke, including Virginia, Ohio State, Louisville, Washington, and Iowa.
A class of 2023 signee out of Turkey, Berke was ranked 36th overall and seventh among power forwards in his class, according to 247 Sports. He’s represented his home country in international basketball competitions, including the summer of 2023 when he helped Turkey finish in third place at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup.
The 6-foot-9, 245-pounder played in 26 games (eight starts) last season, averaging 4.5 points on 38.5% shooting (29.7% from 3-point range) and 2.5 rebounds per game. He attempted 37 3s on the season, connecting on 11, so he’s capable of stretching the floor, something Mark Pope has put a strong emphasis on with frontcourt transfers he’s contacted.
Kentucky’s frontcourt is going to rely heavily on Amari Williams, Andrew Carr, and Brandon Garrison to hold down the fort next season, so Berke could be a nice option as a fourth big man who would be competing for an 8th/9th man-type of role.
Whether Berke is open to that type of role or wants heavy playing minutes at a smaller program remains to be seen, but we know Kentucky has some level of interest in his services.