Two Kentucky portal targets will visit campus on Wednesday

Kentucky men’s basketball head coach Mark Pope still has several more roster spots to fill out ahead of the 2026-27 season. Nine players are locked in, leaving six more possible additions. A couple of those potential future Wildcats will be in Lexington starting Wednesday to check out what the program has to offer.

And they would be James Madison transfer forward James McBride and Southern California transfer center Gabe Dynes. Kentucky needs some frontcourt help alongside Malachi Moreno, who is expected to hold down the starting center position after he tests the NBA Draft waters. McBride and Dynes might not be starting-level talents for Kentucky, but they would provide some immediate depth relief inside.

Here’s what you need to know about them ahead of their visits to UK.

6-8 forward Justin McBride (James Madison)

McBride is looking for his fourth school in four years. He started his college career as a three-star recruit out of Texas before committing to Oklahoma State in the 2023 cycle, joining the same Cowboys’ recruiting class as Brandon Garrison. McBride came off the bench in 24 games, but did not play an impactful role in Stillwater. That led him to transfer to Nevada in 2024-25, where his productivity and playing time grew, but still in an off-the-bench role.

His junior campaign in 2025-26 is where he took off. McBride found himself at James Madison last season, posting per-game averages of 15.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 27.1 minutes per outing. He started 30 of his 31 games played on shooting splits of 49.4/40.0/78.2. He shot 38-95 from deep while flashing some playmaking chops as a stretchable forward. McBride landed himself a spot on the All-Sun Belt Third Team.

With one year of eligibility remaining, he’s looking for another home. On3 does not have him ranked in the portal, but 247Sports tabs him as the 203rd-best transfer this offseason.

[Bio Blast: James Madison forward Justin McBride]

7-5 center Gabe Dynes (Southern California)

You won’t find many taller basketball players than Dynes, who is listed from anywhere between 7-foot-3 and 7-foot-5. He’s a native of the Bluegrass, having played his high school ball for Simon Kenton in Independence, KY, before heading off to Youngstown State. Dynes played two seasons with the Penguins. He earned Horizon League All-Defensive Team honors in both seasons as an elite rim protector, but with a limited offensive game. As a sophomore in 2024-25, Dynes averaged 6.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks in just 21.8 minutes per outing on 69.9 percent shooting.

From there, Dynes transferred to Southern California for his junior season in 2025-26. While he appeared in 30 games for the Trojans, six as a starter, his playing time was limited. He averaged 2.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, and one block in 11.9 minutes per contest, although he did shoot 78.8 percent (41-52) from the field. He’s surprisingly athletic and mobile for someone his size, but his game has been restricted to inside the paint.

Dynes has one more year of eligibility to use. Kentucky isn’t his only visit, either. The likes of Kansas, Louisville, Xavier, NC State, and Georgia are also in the mix. On3 ranks him as the 152nd-best overall player and the 17th-best center to enter the portal this offseason.

[Bio Blast: Southern California center Gabe Dynes]