KSR's Nike EYBL Live Blog (Day Two): Who is Mark Pope Watching?

If there is one recruit you can say with certainty Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats have not missed, it’s No. 1 overall CJ Rosser. He’s clearly the program’s top priority in 2027 and their efforts are only ramping up.

That has also allowed them to get an extended look at No. 2 overall King Gibson, who is officially on offer watch after yet another awesome weekend. He says Mo Williams has been leading the charge and there is real mutual Kentucky interest.

College coaches can’t directly contact 2028 prospects until June 15, but it’s already clear who Kentucky will be prioritizing among rising juniors: five-star big man Erick Dampier Jr.

His old man was a big-time talent in the NBA, and the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Dampier Jr. is already a top-five recruit in the country and Mark Pope has not missed a single viewing in two days here in Memphis.

He just wrapped up watching the 6-9, 230-pound center, who is playing 16U for Alabama Fusion.

There has been quite a bit of bouncing around here to wrap up day two, with all three coaches in attendance checking in with Paul Osaruyi of AZ Unity, Chase Lumpkin of JET Academy and Ryan Hampton of LivOn in the 5 PM CT game set, followed by Kager Kueneppel and Deuce McDuffie of Team Herro and DeMarcus Henry and Adan Diggs of Vegas Elite.

The crowd is starting to thin out as fatigue sets in — 9:30 AM CT to 8 PM CT game sets put a hurting on the body.

Kentucky extended an offer to 2027 No. 10 overall DeMarcus Henry on Friday, pulling the trigger just minutes after watching his game to close out the evening set. Now, Mark Pope is back, front and center, watching the 6-7 wing out of California.

He went for 25 points on Friday, shooting 11-19 from the floor to go with four rebounds and four assists.

His teammate is also top-five recruit Adan Diggs, ranked No. 1 by Rivals in 2028. He doesn’t currently hold an offer, but, with all of these Henry viewings Pope will get pushing for the 2027 standout, he’ll certainly know one way or another.

You won’t catch many live period games for top-ranked CJ Rosser on the floor without Mark Pope somewhere nearby. That’s clearly Kentucky’s top target in the class, at least two deep in every viewing — and that remains the case on Saturday afternoon.

Again, it’s Pope and Williams sitting courtside for the five-star big man.

Mark Pope and Mo Williams were front and center for the head-to-head battle between five-stars Ryan Hampton and Paul Osaruyi. The latter got the best of the former, putting together a much better effort than he showed on Friday. Hampton’s team is not very good, unfortunately, so the top-10 prospect is forced to do a little too much while taking tough shots and unnecessary gambles.

Fortunately for the Cats, another top target, Chase Lumpkin, was on the court immediately behind Hampton vs. Osaruyi, so Pope was able to bounce back and forth and keep a close eye on the rising standout guard who has been the talk of the spring. Williams popped his head up to monitor his situation every chance he could, too.

Coach McLean is in Indiana for 3SSB, and he’s found a familiar face: Rajon Rondo!

He’s sitting with the former Wildcat legend, checking out top-10 recruit Nasir Anderson. You can also see former UK assistant Alvin Brooks III within arm’s reach.

The same group is back in Memphis, as Mark Pope, Mo Williams and Cody Fueger are making their rounds on day two of EYBL Session II.

Pope and Williams are courtside for No. 3 overall recruit Marcus Spears Jr. while Fueger is in for No. 6 overall Beckham Black.

Both hold offers from the Wildcats with Black one of the top standouts of day one with a smooth 25 points.

Black would finish with 28 points on 10-15 shooting and 4-7 from three with eight assists, three rebounds and two steals in yet another dominant all-around effort. The kid is good.

As for Spears, he was dominant, too, going for 18 points and 14 rebounds while adding four blocks. It was a step up from his performance in a 63-61 loss to MeanStreets on day one.