15. Lamont Butler
Transferred from: San Diego State
Years at Kentucky: 2024-25
Butler, who hit a buzzer-beater to send San Diego State to the Final Four in 2023 and was the 2024 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, played his final college season at Kentucky, serving as the Pope’s era’s first starting point guard. Injuries kept him out of nine games, but he still averaged 11.4 points, 4.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and shot a career-best 39.1 percent from three for the Wildcats. He scored 33 points while shooting a perfect 10-for-10 from the field and 6-for-6 from three to lead the Cats past arch-rival Louisville at home, winning game MVP honors and helping punch UK’s ticket to the Sweet 16 by going or 14 points, five assists, and three steals in the Round of 32 against Illinois.
14. Dale Brown
Transferred from: Gulf Coast Community College
Years at Kentucky: 1991-93
Brown, a JUCO product, was a key member of both UK’s 1992 Elite Eight team and 1993 Final Four. He played in 34 games and made 16 starts during the 1991-92 campaign and averaged 7.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals and started all 34 games for UK’s 1992-93 Final Four squad averaging 9.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals. He scored 16 points in both UK’s 1993 Sweet 16 win over Wake Forest and Final Four loss to Michigan.
13. Mark Pope
Transferred from: Washington
Years at Kentucky: 1993-96
Pope spent his first two college seasons at Washington which included the 1991-92 campaign that saw him earn the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year award. During his first year eligible to play for the Wildcats of 1994-95, he helped the Cats reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. In 33 games with eight starts, he averaged 8.2 points per game with 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. Pope served as the team captain of the Cats 1995-96 national champion team as a fifth-year senior as he played in all 36 games and made six starts. On the year he averaged 7.6 points per game, 5.2 rebounds and a career-high 1.4 blocks. He ranks tied for 27th (Ugonna Onyenso) in program history with 82 career blocked shots, has the 15th most rebounds in program SEC Tournament history (45), and is tied for eighth (Derek Willis) in program SEC Tournament history in blocks (11).
12. Koby Brea
Transferred from: Dayton
Years at Kentucky: 2024-25
After four seasons at Dayton, Brea brought his sharpshooting to Kentucky, where during the 2024-25 campaign, he shot 43.5 percent from deep while averaging 11.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. He scored 23 points in both UK’s Round of 32 win over Illinois and in a regular season victory over eventual national champion Florida in which he shot 7-for-9 from three. His 93 made threes rank tied for seventh most in UK single-season history with Tony Delk (1995-96).
11. Patrick Sparks
Transferred from: Western Kentucky
Years at Kentucky: 2003-06
A native of Central City, Sparks spent two seasons at Western Kentucky before transferring to Kentucky. After a mandatory redshirt year, he made an immediate impact for coach Tubby Smith and the 2004-05 Cats as he started all 34 games and earned Second-Team All-SEC honors, averaging 11.0 points and shooting 39.7 percent from three. He was a key part of UK’s 2005 run to the Elite Eight and hit a three at the buzzer of the Cats’ Elite Eight loss to Michigan State that sent the game to overtime. The 2005-06 campaign saw Sparks start all 35 games and averaged 9.7 points while shooting 38.5 percent from three. Sparks ranks 16th in UK program history with 151 made three-pointers, while his 82 made threes during the 2004-05 season rank 12th in UK single-season program history.
