Patience is truly a virtue, Big Blue Nation, even when the recruiting season drags on painfully slow. After a long stretch with barely any updates, Mark Pope made a highly worthwhile move on the international scene.
In the hunt for frontcourt talent, Kentucky secured a commitment from Senegalese forward Ousmane N’Diaye. The overseas prospect appears poised to step in and start at power forward alongside Malachi Moreno. Having generated NBA Draft buzz on multiple occasions, this addition looks very solid for the Wildcats though plenty of work remains to round out the rest of the roster.
That brings us to the latest rumor making the rounds. According to BigBlueDylan, Kentucky is re-engaging with five-star forward Miikka Muurinen, who after playing professionally overseas remains firmly in the college hoops conversation.
Kentucky Pursuing Miikka Muurinen
Muurinen is a unicorn-type prospect whom Pope could deploy almost anywhere. He’s a nimble 6-foot-10 forward with dangerous ability to attack the rim. Just watch one of his driving dunks and get back to me, Cats fans.
His stats in Finland aren’t overwhelming six points and two rebounds per game but when you consider Muurinen’s physical gifts and the fact that he’s only 19, the bigger picture comes into focus. His five-star status suddenly makes sense, as does his long list of high-major offers.
Duke, Michigan, Arkansas, and Indiana, along with Kentucky, have all extended offers to the prospect. He’s a high-priority name who, after two scheduled visits to Lexington fell through, seemed out of reach for the Wildcats.
But Pope and his staff potentially energized by their latest commitment—are coming on strong. If the rumor holds true, Muurinen could be the staff’s next target on the recruiting trail.
Where the Staff Strikes Next
Of course, as one of the nation’s most decorated incoming freshmen, Muurinen’s recruitment could stretch out a bit longer. Kentucky would greatly benefit from filling bench gaps in the meantime especially when it comes to scoring but they can’t afford to lose sight of this potential prize.
On paper, Muurinen is simply the kind of player you make room for. His off-court personality? Well, until he’s wearing blue and white, we should treat the noise about his antics the same way we’re treating Kentucky’s apparently renewed contact with him.
That is, as rumors… for now.
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