After starting from scratch, Mark Pope has filled the Kentucky roster with 12 players who understand the assignment. With defensive masters transferring in, and an offensive scheme set to put up big points, Big Blue Nation will have plenty of on-court action to anticipate as the season draws closer. However, in these dog days of summer, one of the best things we can do is get hyped for what numbers everyone will be wearing.
I have to admit, I love jersey numbers more than a person should. This time of year always has me gitty about which number the incoming players will pick. One of my superpowers is being able to name the number of pretty much every player over the last 30 years. It’s a blessing and a curse.
With 12 new players this year, number investigation season is running rampant but thanks to Instagram, Internet sleuthing on this subject has gotten exponentially easier. In the last week or so, players have been arriving on campus and posting their locker (which has their name and number above it) on the ‘Gram.
Here are all 12 players’ jersey numbers and their jersey numbers, though two are unconfirmed:
Otega Oweh #00
Otega Oweh wore #3 at Oklahoma, but he is switching to #00 at Kentucky per his Instagram. This number selection is pure perfection as the two zeros match up perfectly with his initials, O.O. The last player to wear #00 for Kentucky was Marcus Lee in 2016.
Lamont Butler #1
Lamont Butler will be rocking #1 for the ‘Cats this year. He previously wore #5 at San Diego State. It is unclear if he chose to switch it up to honor Terrence Clarke, who wore this number for Kentucky before tragically passing away. This is what CJ Fredrick did when he switched to #1 after wearing #5 for Iowa to honor Clarke. Justin Edwards wore #1 last year.
Jaxson Robinson #2
Jaxson Robinson, Kentucky’s most prized transfer, will keep the same number at Kentucky that he wore at BYU, #2, according to his Instagram. The Big 12’s 6th Man of the Year nearly kept his name in the NBA draft but withdrew at the 11th hour and will have a chance to be the Wildcats’ leading scorer. Aaron Bradshaw wore #2 last year for Kentucky.
Koby Brea #4
Koby Brea wore #4 all four years while he was at Dayton and from the looks of his Twitter/X profile, he won’t be mixing it up at Kentucky. As one of the best 3-point shooters in the country last season, this gives vibes to Antoine Walker’s famous quote when asked why he shot so many 3s. “Cause there ain’t no 4s.” Tre Mitchell wore #4 for the ‘Cats last year.
Andrew Carr #7
Last season was the first year college players could wear a jersey number with a digit higher than 5. Like most NCAA rules, it was outdated and long overdue to get nixed, but no one on last year’s squad took advantage of this newfound freedom. This year, however, Andrew Carr will sport #7, according to his Instagram. Carr wore #21 at Delaware and #11 at Wake Forest. Because of the longstanding rule against it, Carr will be the first player to wear #7 since James Fynn in 1952.
Trent Noah #9
This Kentucky kid understands the assignment more than just about anyone on the team and he’ll wear that assignment everywhere. While the Wildcats are chasing national championship #9, Trent Noah will rock it on his jersey. Because of the old NCAA rule outlawing digits greater than 5, Noah will become the first person to wear #9 since Glen Parker way back in 1944.
Brandon Garrison #10
Brandon Garrison wore #23 for the Oklahoma State Cowboys last season, but he will mix it up in blue and wear #10 for Kentucky. This is according to his Instagram. The last person to wear #10 for Kentucky was another transfer, Davion Mintz, back in 2022.
Travis Perry #11
Travis Perry was Mark Pope’s easiest recruit. He was already committed to Kentucky and unlike the others in the class, wanted to become a Wildcat because of the program more than to play for the previous head coach. Travis Perry wore #11 in High School when he became the state’s all-time leading scorer, and he’ll don those same digits in college. The last player to wear #11 for Kentucky was Dontaie Allen in 2022.
Collin Chandler #13 (unconfirmed)
Without a doubt, Collin Chandler is Kentucky’s most mysterious recruit. A top 40 player in the 2022 class, Chandler has been on a two-year mission in Sierra Leone so what he will bring to the table as a 20-year-freshman, no one knows. The same goes for his jersey number, however, we can speculate. His Twitter/X handle is @collinchand13r, which incorporates #13. Also, from other player’s Instagram photos, we’ve seen that a #13 locker exists, though we can’t read the name in those pictures. It is very possible #13 could still belong to Grant Darbyshire, a walk-on who appears to still be on the team, but it is common for walk-ons to give up their numbers to scholarship players who want it. Ultimately, Chandler’s number is still a mystery.
Ansley Almonor #15
At Fairleigh Dickinson, Ansley Almonor wore #5. Similar to Lamont Butler, who chose not to wear that digit at Kentucky, Almonor is switching it up too. Instead, he will rock #15, presumably after Carmello Anthony. Almonor embedded a picture of Anthony in a shot of his locker on Instagram. Almonor will have big shoes to fill with that number, considering Reed Sheppard wore it last season.
Amari Williams #21
Amari Williams rocked #22 for all four years at Drexel but is taking it a notch down at Kentucky and will wear #21. Williams was one of Mark Pope’s first big transfer commits and will be a force down low for the ‘Cats this season. The last person to wear #21 for Kentucky was DJ Wagner, who now wears it for the Arkansas Razorbacks. Boo.
Kerr Kriisa #77 (unconfirmed)
By every account, Kerr Kriisa is a wildcard in every facet. Back in May, Mark Pope claimed Kriisa would wear #77, a number Kriisa said Luka Doncic stole from him, but we have not received confirmation on that. In fact, in the reflection of Andrew Carr’s Instagram Post, you can see the number #99 on a locker, and by process of elimination, this very well could be Kriisa’s. It would certainly match the personality profile. Then again, it could be Collin Chandler’s or simply be a placeholder for an empty locker. Harold Hurst last wore #77 for the Wildcats in 1954 and, for what it’s worth, no one has ever worn #99.
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