Kentucky is expressing interest in UCLA transfer forward.
As head coach Mark Pope works to flesh up his inaugural Kentucky team, which still lacks an all-around scorer and a power forward, his staff has reached out to a player who could fill one of those vacancies. According to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, Kentucky is one of several schools interested in UCLA transfer forward Berke Buyuktuncel.
According to Rothstien, other schools in the mix include Nebraska, Virginia, Cincinnati, Washington, Butler, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, BYU, Iowa, and Louisville.
Buyuktuncel, a 6-foot-9 forward from Bursa, Turkey, signed with UCLA as a four-star prospect ranked 45th in the class of 2023 and sixth in power forward, according to 24sports. As a true freshman for the Bruins this season, he appeared in 26 games, making eight starts and averaging 16.3 minutes per game while missing three games due to an ankle ailment.
Overall, he averaged 4.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, shooting 38.5% from the field, 29.7% from three, and 62.8% from the free throw line. He scored a season and young career-high 13 points in a loss to Stanford, 12 in a loss to eventual PAC 12 Tournament winner Oregon, and nine in victories over Chaminade on Maui and former Wildcats Keion Brooks, Sahvir Wheeler, and Washington at home. Buyuktuncel got a season-high five rebounds in three different games, including two against Washington and a loss to Maryland.
Buyuktuncel will have three years of eligibility at his next school, which may assist Kentucky. Wake Forest transfer Andrew Carr is the only power forward on the current team, with only one year of eligibility to use in Lexington. UK currently has only four players signed with eligibility for the 2024-25 season: Otega Oweh, Brandon Garrison, Travis Perry, and Collin Chandler.