One position that Mark Pope still has a ton of work to do when it comes to the 2026-27 roster is the power forward spot. Fans have been ready for a Justin McBride commitment over the last few days. It hasn’t come yet which is somewhat frustrating, but many anticipate the former James Madison forward to be a Wildcat sooner than later.
While McBride will be an excellent addition to the power forward room if he does pick Kentucky, he would be the only player at the four that the Wildcats have, so Pope will have to go get himself another power forward. A new name has shown up but this player isn’t in the transfer portal.
Pope has been in contact with Ousmane Ndiaye, who is a power forward from Senegal. He currently plays for Vanoli Cremona, which is a professional basketball team in Italy, and he is putting up some impressive numbers. He is averaging 10.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
