Mark Pope is excited about Kam Williams and Ousmane N’Diaye; says Kam is ready to start

While the Kentucky Basketball offseason hasn’t been what fans had hoped for thus far, there’s still some real potential with the 2026-27 roster.

Part of that is the acquisition of Ousmane N’Diaye, a talented overseas prospect from Senegal who may very well earn the starting 4 spot this season.

During his latest Q&A with fans, head coach Mark Pope discussed his excitement for N’Diaye, who stands at 6-foot-11 with a reported 7-foot-3 wingspan. Pope thinks N’Diaye has the potential to become “special” in Lexington.

“The most exciting thing for me is I actually got to go see him (N’Diaye) in Cremona, Italy, where he’s playing right now. And the great news is he’s just a little bit taller than me, and when we did our standing reach comparison, I reached as high as I possibly could, and my fingers barely came to the bottom of the crease in his hand. He’s long. He’s gonna be special here.”

Pope also said his name is pronounced OOSE-mahn EN-jye.

Another forward Pope is excited about is Kam Williams, who is returning as a junior next season after a promising sophomore year was nearly derailed by a foot injury before he returned for the postseason.

Thankfully, Williams is now fully recovered and is putting on the weight needed to hold up in SEC play. And Pope believes the 6-foot-8 wing is ready for a starting role.

“Yes,” Pope said when asked if Williams was ready to become a starter. “Kam was our leading DPA (Defensive Points Allowed) guy last year. He missed 12 games but was still our leading plus/minus guy. His foot is healthy now, and best of all, two days ago, he sent me a text that I got it in the morning. He was so excited that he sent me a picture of the scale. He’s up to 210 pounds.

“Kam Williams. Let’s go!”

Hopefully, we’ll get to see these guys in action this summer if Kentucky can find a location for a foreign tour.

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