San Diego State transfer guard Miles Byrd announced his commitment to Providence on Thursday, choosing the Friars over Kentucky Basketball and several other high-major programs.
Byrd, a 6-6, 190-pound guard, is coming off a strong season in which he averaged 10.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 40.5% from the field. He also added 1.9 steals and 1.2 blocks per game, earning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors for his impact on that end of the floor.
While
his offensive numbers were solid, Byrd shot 30.8% from 3-point range on 4.3 attempts per game, leaving room for growth as a scorer. Kentucky head coach Mark Pope and his staff may have been hoping Byrd could make a jump offensively similar to former Wildcat Lamont Butler, who elevated his scoring during his final season in Lexington.
However, it’s unclear how strongly Kentucky pursued Byrd and if he was a take this early in the transfer portal process.
Byrd’s finalists included Kentucky, Baylor, Louisville, Providence, Texas, Vanderbilt, and Cincinnati, highlighting the level of interest he generated in the transfer portal.
For Kentucky, missing out on Byrd means continuing the search for a versatile two-way guard with the only guard on the roster currently being incoming freshman Mason Williams, a 4-star point guard in the class of 2027.
After the recent losses of Collin Chandler, Jasper Johnson, and Jaland Lowe to the transfer portal, Kentucky desperately needs multiple guards to fill the void in the coming weeks.
