Marcio Santos (Sports Rabbi photo)
One thing you have to admit is that Kentucky coach Mark Pope does not get discouraged no matter what happens in recruiting.
One day after UK’s top target, high school senior Tyran Stokes, picked Kansas over the Wildcats, Pope was in Israel Wednesday to watch Maccabi Tel Aviv big man Márcio Santos play and meet with him.
Santos is a 6-foot-8 , 23-year-old center from Brazil who averaged 8.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.6 blocks during the 2025-26 Winner League Season with Maccabi Tel Aviv. He averaged 6.9 points and 1.6 rebounds in 37 games played against EuroLeague competition. He shot 49 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3.
He played with Sesi Franca in the NBB Americas League from 2018 to 2024 before joining Ratiopharm Ulm in the Basketball Bundesliga.
Tomer Givati of Israel Hayom reported on social media that Kentucky was meeting Santos and his agent.
“The Brazilian center, who was considered one of the most promising young talents in his country even before joining the (Maccabi Tel Aviv) last summer, has a contract for another season with Maccabi Tel Aviv, but if he wants to move and play in the United States, the Yellows will not be able to meet Kentucky’s considerable financial offer, which is expected to compensate the club if talks mature,” Givati posted.
Based on a quote that Josh Halickman of SportsRabbi.com had from Santos’ head coach Oded Katash it sure seems like the big man could be headed to UK to join Malachi Moreno as post players at Kentucky.
“We’re very happy that we’re some kind of platform for players; it’s a huge compliment that players make a step-up with us. We’re happy for Marcio that they came to see him — it wasn’t a reflective game for him,” the coach said. “He had a very good season for us. We’ll always want him to stay, but we wish him the best of luck.”
Even though Santos did not have his best game Wednesday with Pope watching, his team won 102-92.
10 Responses
If he does come to Kentucky, he would play the 4 spot along with McBride. NDiaye would play the 5 with Moreno, if Moreno comes back, Williams and Noah are the 3 spot, Wilkins and the older Hawthorne would play the 2, Diallo and Mason Williams would play the point. Potter would be the insurance guy for both the 4 and 5 spot. Is that a championship team…I don't think so, but I think it would be a better team than year 2's team…but still could be a double digit loss team. If Pope wants to save his job, he had better go after the Rioux kid, just in case Moreno stays in the draft…he would be a wild card that could erase some of the shortcomings in the rest of the team and help this team be Pope's first single digit loss team.
I don't even think Rioux is on the radar which is scary at this point. When Pope came here he said if he sees Kentucky slipping under his watch he would step down. I think that we are much worse with Pope then we were with Calapari. Cal at least brought good players in but he couldn't coach them. Pope can't even bring elite talent into Lexington and that's the problem. It's never been a problem before. We have the deepest pockets in the SEC. We are a middle tier team in the SEC. If that tells you anything. I think any coach would love to come here.its just were not hiring the right type of coach.
Is Pope smart enough to save his job? Does he understand that he has a short leash with his 2 yr record and constantly whiffing on recruiting front? Is he really that desperate to have to go to Israel to recruit a guy avg 8 pts a game?
That's exactly how bad it had gotten. Pope needs to go back out west. He can't recruit in the SEC.
Pope needs an edge and I think Olivier Rioux could give him that edge. How do teams counter a 7'9" presence? Is Pope smart enough to use him in a way that would make him a weapon instead of a footnote to the roster?
I love Rioux he runs the floor great for a player his size. If I'm Rioux I'm going to Uconn or Purdue. Somewhere that I will become a great player.
If Cal was the coach he wouldn't even talk to a player of this caliber. End of story.
I'm waiting for Pope to actually find a diamond in the rough.
I am ok with European players for sure but not sure of the quality of these 2. I just can't connect with the recruiting dollars that Pope going thru and yet we get very little ROI on this. He has 2 straight yrs with what seems to be around 80% whiff rate on first level of targeted players.
He didn't score a point when pope watched..
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