When Kentucky’s Mark Pope kept a roster spot open, anticipating the possibility of a late-roster addition with all the lawsuits and whatnot, he probably didn’t anticipate what Kentucky just went through with former Blue Devil Mark Mitchell.
After committing to Kentucky on March 22, Mitchell seemed to be the exact answer to what the Wildcats needed: a versatile frontcourt player, a tall defender, and a perfect partner to forward Milan Momcilovic.
Final Four speculation had begun.
Now, that’s all over.
Mitchell did an about-face and will return to Missouri.
Why?
We don’t think he’s addressed this publicly, but the general sentiment is that the risk at Kentucky was too great. The SEC was threatening serious penalties for violating portal protocol, the lawyers were queuing up, and after a certain point, you know, who needs the headache?
So he went back to Mizzou, and we’re sure that Missouri will be happy to get him back. However, there is an unfortunate catch: Dennis Gates has 15 players listed on his roster, and none of them are named Mark Mitchell.
So now he’s falling into the trap that Arkansas coach John Calipari warned about: someone lost a scholarship on Monday, and Gates is going to lose a lot of trust.
Pope may have been smart enough to keep a spot open, but if he had kept Mitchell, he still might have have lost trust because someone was going to sit.
That would have been bad, but yanking a scholarship, in September for all intents and purposes, is just wrong. Who’s that guy? Where’s he going to go now? Does he have friends on the roster? Are they pissed, too? Mitchell will be an upgrade, but at what cost?
This is a terrible way to do business.
Obviously, as conference stablemates, the teams will play this year. The only game, though, will be at Missouri on January 7. That’s one to keep an eye on.
- And Just Like That Mark Mitchell is Back at Missouri
- CBS Sports Drops Kentucky Five Spots in Top 25 And 1 Rankings
- Mark Pope shares not-so-subtle response to losing Mark Mitchell
- Mark Mitchell returning to Mizzou; decommits from Kentucky
- Missouri star Mark Mitchell turns down Nuggets training camp offer to return to college
- RUPP REELING: Mark Mitchell DITCHES Kentucky—How Wildcats SURVIVE the BLOW to Their LINEUP
- Mark Mitchell skipping out on Kentucky amid SEC, ‘five for five’ drama
- Mitchell opts to return to Missouri, not fight court battles
- Top college basketball player goes back on his Kentucky commitment after 1 week
- Mark Mitchell’s decision a huge turn of events for Missouri Tigers
- Source Tells Matt Norlander That Mark Mitchell Always Wanted to Stay at Missouri
- Why Mark Mitchell’s Return to Missouri Is a Power Move by the SEC
- Missouri Coach Dennis Gates Celebrates the Return of Mark Mitchell
- What is Kentucky Basketball’s ceiling after losing Mark Mitchell?
Go to the DBR Boards to find Blue Healer Auctions || Drop us a line
