Why Mark Pope losing Donnie Freeman represents a much bigger issue for Kentucky Basketball

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope looks on after the game against the Iowa State Cyclones during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Donnie Freeman picked St. John’s over Kentucky. The Wildcats felt confident this one was heading to Lexington. Instead, Rick Pitino stepped in late and flipped the script, landing a priority target that Mark Pope had spent significant time recruiting.

And that’s where this loss stings the most. Jeff Goodman believes it is down to mentality. Goodman believes Donnie Freeman chose Rick Pitino because he wanted a coach who would push him harder and prepare him for the pros.

Rick Pitino is a legendary coach, and absolutely will coach him harder than Mark Pope would have. To be honest, Rick probably demands more than most college basketball coaches not named Tom Izzo. But none of that is really why Donnie Freeman choosing St. John’s hurts the most.

But Pope missing on Freeman the player isn’t all that bad, it’s all that went into it that makes it sting.

Donnie Freeman was a priority, and he chose elsewhere

This wasn’t just another name in the portal.

Freeman was the target at power forward. Pope identified him early as a foundational piece and prioritized him while other options who would have committed went elsewhere. That’s always the risk in the portal; when you go all-in on one player, you’d better land him.

Kentucky didn’t.

I personally don’t believe Freeman is a sure-fire star. He has an injury history that scares me; his defense has not really lived up to the $3 million reported asking price. And all things considered on the court, it really isn’t a terrible miss.