A bunch of former Kentucky basketball players are still in college. Where are they now?

The 2024-25 college basketball season tips off Monday, and there will be former Kentucky Wildcats playing all over the country. In all four time zones in the continental United States, actually.

How many ex-Cats are still in college? More than you probably think. In fact, the number of departures from the John Calipari era — both before and after he left Lexington himself — exceeds the number of scholarships a Division I basketball program is allowed to distribute.

And that number doesn’t even include recruits who were once committed to Kentucky.

In all, there are 14 former UK scholarship players — plus a former Wildcat walk-on — who will be playing elsewhere this season.

Here’s a look at each of those players.

Following Calipari to Arkansas

Calipari stepped down as Kentucky’s head coach in April to accept the same job at Arkansas, and by the end of the transfer portal comings and goings, everyone on his final UK team had left.

Three of those players ultimately joined Calipari in Fayetteville.

D.J. Wagner: The starting point guard on Calipari’s 15th and final Kentucky team — and long regarded as the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 class — spent quite a while in the portal before committing to the Razorbacks and a second season under the Hall of Fame coach. Wagner was viewed as a likely NBA draft pick following his freshman year, but the results were underwhelming — 9.9 points and 3.3 assists per game — relative to expectations, and the son of former Calipari star Dajuan Wagner will look to reclaim some of the draft status. Wagner is still young — he won’t turn 20 years old until May — and there should be plenty of talent around him this season.

Adou Thiero: A fan favorite at Kentucky for his hustle and highlight-reel ability the past two seasons, Thiero actually entered the portal before Calipari made contact with Arkansas about a possible move, then surprisingly ended up with his former coach by the end of the transfer cycle. Thiero started 19 of 25 games last season but was hampered by injuries for the second year in a row and played a season-low seven minutes during UK’s NCAA Tournament loss to Oakland due to another physical setback. If he can stay healthy in year three, he should be a major player for the Razorbacks.

Zvonimir Ivisic: “Big Z” — as he was affectionately known to UK fans — was responsible for one of the most electrifying debuts in program history in February, a stunning performance against Georgia that came after a drawn-out eligibility battle with the NCAA. The 7-footer with perimeter skills battled injury and illness during his brief time in Lexington, but the ability he flashed in spurts over the final two months of the season had him in the conversation as a one-and-done NBA draft pick. That talk had mostly fizzled by March and he was the first to follow Calipari to Arkansas, where UK fans will surely be keeping an eye on his progress this season.

Arkansas season opener: vs. Lipscomb (8 p.m. Wednesday on SEC Network+); the Hogs will play No. 7 Baylor in Dallas at 7:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPNU.

Former UK basketball recruits

When it was assumed that Calipari would stick around for his 16th season as the Wildcats’ coach, he had a six-player recruiting class ranked No. 2 in the country. After the dust settled on Calipari’s departure, Kentucky Mr. Basketball Travis Perry was the only one of those six players who had stuck with new UK coach Mark Pope.

Three of them followed Calipari to Arkansas — point guard Boogie Fland and wing players Karter Knox and Billy Richmond — and all three are expected to play key roles for the Razorbacks this season. Longtime UK walk-on Kareem Watkins — the older brother of D.J. Wagner — is also on the Arkansas roster.

The two other recruits to back out of Kentucky commitments as a result of Calipari’s exit were top-10 national prospect Jayden Quaintance, who signed with Arizona State; and four-star center Somto Cyril, who will play in the SEC at Georgia this season.

Arizona State season opener: vs. Idaho State (9 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN+).

Georgia season opener: vs. Tennessee Tech (7:30 p.m. Monday on SEC Network+).

▪ Two other former UK recruits from the Calipari era are also still in college basketball.

Nolan Hickman, who signed with the Cats in the class of 2021, backed out of that commitment to play for Gonzaga, where he averaged 14.0 points per game last season and will return for his fourth year. (Hickman will play against UK for the third season in a row when Gonzaga faces the Wildcats in Seattle on Dec. 7.)

Gonzaga season opener: vs. Baylor (8:30 p.m. Monday on ESPN2).

▪ Skyy Clark, who was UK’s first commitment for the 2022 class before ultimately playing his freshman year at Illinois, will be at UCLA this season, his third school in three years. Clark led Louisville with 13.2 points per game last season before transferring to the Bruins in the spring.

UCLA season opener: vs. Rider (10:30 p.m. Monday on FS1).

In addition to those former Kentucky players and recruits, there are 11 other ex-Wildcats still in college basketball, including four who played for UK last season.

Dontaie Allen

Current school: Wyoming.

Years at UK: 2019-22.

Yes, Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball from the 2018-19 season is still in the college game. The former Pendleton County star, who sat out his first season at UK due to injury, put up some thrilling 3-point performances in year two and returned to the end of the bench after that before transferring to Western Kentucky, was on the move again this offseason. Dontaie Allen will play his fifth season (in his sixth year on a college campus) at Wyoming for new head coach Sundance Wicks, who engineered one of the biggest turnarounds in NCAA history last season as a first-year coach at Green Bay. Allen averaged 8.2 points per game and shot 40.0% from 3-point range at WKU last season, starting 13 of 33 games and playing 20.8 minutes per contest. Allen played 25 minutes off the bench in Wyoming’s only exhibition game.

Season opener: vs. Concordia University, St. Paul (9:30 p.m. Monday on Mountain West Network).

Devin Askew

Current school: Long Beach State.

Years at UK: 2020-21.

The much-maligned point guard on Kentucky’s 9-16 team of four years ago will be playing for his fourth college in five seasons. Devin Askew left Lexington for Texas, where he got considerably less playing time as a sophomore before moving to Cal for the past two seasons, both of which were hampered by injuries. He averaged 15.5 points through Cal’s first 13 games (all losses) as a junior before suffering a season-ending injury then played just six games — none after Dec. 31 — because of injuries last season. His new team, Long Beach State, made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 12 years last season. Askew had 16 points and seven assists in his only exhibition game last month.

Season opener: vs. La Verne (10 p.m. Monday on ESPN+).

Aaron Bradshaw

Current school: Ohio State.

Years at UK: 2023-24.

A top-five national recruit with NBA lottery pick potential, Aaron Bradshaw was the subject of an offseason and preseason filled with injury questions and turned in a star performance in his first full game with the Wildcats before largely fading to the background on last season’s team. He ultimately averaged only 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, playing double-digit minutes just once over the final month of the season. Bradshaw will look for a fresh start at Ohio State — projected to be an NCAA Tournament team this season — and he’ll play against the Wildcats on Dec. 21 in the CBS Sports Classic in Madison Square Garden. (Bradshaw missed the Buckeyes’ exhibition game against Cincinnati two weeks ago with an injury suffered in practice, but he is not expected to be sidelined long.)

Season opener: vs. Texas in Las Vegas (10 p.m. Monday on TNT).

Jordan Burks

Current school: Georgetown.

Years at UK: 2023-24.

While Kentucky’s trio of 7-footers — Bradshaw, Ivisic and Ugonna Onyenso — started last season on the bench, Jordan Burks helped the Cats as an undersized 5 and became something of a fan favorite in the process. He didn’t play much once the more celebrated bigs returned, but Burks — the Overtime Elite leading scorer in his final prep season — has plenty of untapped potential and three more years of eligibility to realize it at the college level. He should get more of an opportunity for a rebuilding Georgetown team that finished 2-18 in the Big East last season, the Hoyas’ first under head coach Ed Cooley.

Season opener: vs. Lehigh (7 p.m. Wednesday on FS2).

Daimion Collins

Current school: LSU.

Years at UK: 2021-23.

A McDonald’s All-American who came to UK as a project player with NBA draft upside, Daimion Collins battled injuries throughout his two years in Lexington, and the tragic death of his father on the eve of his sophomore season pushed basketball to the background. He transferred to LSU last year for a second chance in college, and injuries there limited him to only six games. The Tigers have some talented newcomers this season, but Collins’ unique blend of length, athleticism and upside will make him a tantalizing prospect for as long as he’s playing college basketball. He played 19 minutes and had a team-high nine rebounds in LSU’s exhibition game.

Season opener: vs. Louisiana Monroe (8 p.m. Wednesday on SEC Network+).

Cam’Ron Fletcher

Current school: Xavier.

Years at UK: 2020-21.

After spending a tumultuous season at UK — sent home by Calipari at one point following an in-game dust-up with the coach on the team’s bench — Cam’Ron Fletcher played 16.3 minutes per game as a sophomore at Florida State and then appeared set for a breakout during his junior season before that campaign was derailed by a knee injury. He suffered a season-ending injury to the same knee last year and ultimately played only 17 games over those two seasons. Now, he’s at Xavier, heading into his fifth year of college basketball. Coach Sean Miller has promised patience with his recovery — Fletcher had surgery in February — and the hope is to get him fully healthy at some point this season.

Season opener: vs. Texas Southern (7:30 p.m. Monday on FS1).

CJ Fredrick

Current school: Cincinnati.

Years at UK: 2021-23.

This will be the seventh season on a college campus for CJ Fredrick, the former Kentucky Sweet Sixteen MVP with Covington Catholic who spent three years (one as a redshirt) at Iowa, where he emerged as one of the best 3-point shooters in college basketball despite ongoing injury issues. Fredrick suffered a season-ending injury in the layup line against Duke during his first year at UK and appeared healthy to start the 2022-23 season before injuries again caught up to him late in the campaign. He then transferred to hometown Cincinnati but played just 15 games last season due to injuries. A 41.3% career 3-point shooter, Fredrick is back for one more season, and he could be a difference-maker — if he can stay healthy — for a Bearcats team that is ranked No. 20 in the preseason Top 25 and expected to rely heavily on perimeter play in Wes Miller’s fourth season as head coach.

Season opener: vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (7 p.m. Monday on ESPN+).

Joey Hart

Current school: Ball State.

Years at UK: 2023-24.

An under-the-radar recruit on Calipari’s final UK team, Joey Hart played just 10 minutes over seven games in his only season with the Wildcats, seemingly forgotten when the head coach referenced his scholarship players and often lumped in with the walk-ons on the court. The Indiana native has transferred to Ball State, which finished 7-11 in the MAC last season and hasn’t been in the NCAA Tournament since 2000.

Season opener: vs. Georgia State (7 p.m. Monday, ESPN+).

Bryce Hopkins

Current school: Providence.

Years at UK: 2021-22.

Of the players who transferred out of Kentucky during the Calipari era, Bryce Hopkins has been among the most successful. Hampered by injury — but still showing promise — during his only season in Lexington, he became an instant star in his sophomore year at Providence, averaging 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game and leading the Friars to the NCAA Tournament (where they lost to Kentucky, the final March Madness victory of Calipari’s UK tenure). Hopkins had been mentioned as a possible NBA draft pick late in that season, but he opted to return to college, and his numbers were just as good through 14 games last season before suffering a torn ACL. He’s still working his way back to full health from that injury, and Providence has the pieces to return to the NCAA Tournament with his help.

Season opener: vs. Central Connecticut (7 p.m. Monday on FS1).

Ugonna Onyenso

Current school: Kansas State.

Years at UK: 2022-24.

A late arrival to UK’s 2022-23 team, Ugonna Onyenso largely served as an understudy to Oscar Tshiebwe in year one before emerging as the team’s primary center as a sophomore, splitting time with Bradshaw and Ivisic but getting the start over the final 14 games of the season. Onyenso’s 2.8 blocks per game would have been fourth in Division I if he’d played enough minutes (18.8 over 24 games) to qualify for the national ranking, and those defensive skills have put him in the NBA draft conversation moving forward. Onyenso will be one of several intriguing incoming transfers for a Kansas State program that made the Elite Eight (and eliminated UK) in Jerome Tang’s first year as head coach in 2023 and just missed the NCAA Tournament last season. Onyenso played just nine minutes off the bench in the Wildcats’ exhibition game.

Season opener: vs. New Orleans (8 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN+).

Lance Ware

Current school: UT Arlington.

Years at UK: 2020-23.

After three years of receiving regular praise (but sporadic playing time) from Calipari — the last two spent mostly sitting behind Oscar Tshiebwe — Lance Ware left Lexington for Villanova, where he averaged just 1.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 10.5 minutes per game. The top-50 recruit in the 2020 class was on the move again this offseason, and he’ll spend his fifth and final year of college basketball playing at UT Arlington under head coach K.T. Turner, who was an assistant at Kentucky during Ware’s junior season. The step down in competition level could lead to bigger things on the court in Ware’s final run in college.

Season opener: vs. UNT-Dallas (noon Monday on ESPN+).

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