Mark Pope does not have a high school player signed or committed for his 2026-27 roster. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Kentucky coach Mark Pope has been involved with some of the nation’s elite recruits in the last two years but has yet to bring a top 10 high school player to UK.
Pope does not have any high school players signed or verbally committed for the 2026-27 season and that has many Kentucky fans worried since the elite teams tend to have one superstar freshman.
The Southeastern Conference weekly awards show what a special freshman can do for a team.
The SEC Player of the Week is Arkansas freshman guard Darius Acuff who averaged 34.5 points, 5.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds and a steal against No. 25 Alabama and Missouri last week.
He scored 49 points, five assists and only one turnover in the 115-117 double overtime loss at Alabama. His 3-pointer with 12 seconds left in regulation forced overtime. He played all 50 minutes for coach John Calipari.
Acuff was 16 of 27 (59.3 percent) from the field, 6 of 10 (60 percent) from 3-point range and 11 of 12 (91.7 percent) from the free throw line.
It was the most points in NCAA history by a freshman in a game against a Top 25 opponent and most points by an Arkansas player in an SEC game and the most by a John Calipari coached player.
Acuff came back with 20 points — his eighth straight 20-point game — and five assists without a turnover against Missouri. It was his eighth consecutive 20-point outing.
SEC Freshman of the Week honors went to Tennessee forward Nate Ament, a player Pope recruited and many thought might sign last year. He averaged 21 points, 7.5 rebounds and two assists per game in wins over Oklahoma and at No. 19 Vanderbilt.He shot 40 percent (4-of-10) from 3-point range and made all 14 of his free throw attempts on the week. Ament tied his career high with a game-best 29 points in the victory over Oklahoma. He became the fourth SEC freshman in the last 20 years with four 28-point games in SEC play in a single season.
Ament hit the game winning-shot in the road victory at No. 19 Vanderbilt with 54 seconds to go. He also led the Vols with nine rebounds against the Commodores, one shy of his career high, and made all six of his shots from the foul line.
Most of the nation’s top high school players are signed or committed for next season but Pope and his staff are still pursuing Tyran Stokes and Christian Collins, two of the nation’s top 10 players.
