Mark Pope apparently has a unique sense of timing when it comes to recruiting.

Remember signee Acaden Lewis was on the verge of making his commitment to Connecticut before Pope scheduled a visit to Washington, D.C., that led to him signing with Kentucky.

Current point guard Lamont Butler transferred from San Diego State — where he played in the national championship game — after he was on the verge of going to another school.

“When Mark Pope came and talked to us it was easy to weed out the bullcrap and discern how he was as a person,” said Butler’s father, Lamont Sr. “That is something God has given us and we can see it. There was something unique about Mark. He gives people a confidence about themselves that they may not have and does it in a unique manner.

“I appreciate how much he has done for Lamont. We were probably on our way to Texas Tech. We didn’t even ask Mark to come visit. He (Pope) was going somewhere else and called me and said he was coming and would be here in the morning.

“That blew us away. We were in Vegas training and they were coming. That is who Mark is and what he can do for people. He just knows. And the system he has at Kentucky is what the NBA needs to be able to see Lamont’s full value.”

The fifth-year guard certainly has shown his value on the court, which is no surprise for a “basketball nerd” like his father says he has always been.

“Harvard wanted him out of high school, but he needed a certain SAT score to go on the visit. He had never taken the test and didn’t have a chance to study for it, but he went and took it,” Lamont Sr. said. “The dude got a 1400 and never studied.”

A perfect SAT score is 1600 with an average score around 1100 according to some national surveys.

“He had a lot of Ivy League schools after him,” Lamont Sr. said. “He had a 3.7 or 3.8 (grade-point average) at San Diego State.”

The UK point guard has been able to solve a Rubik’s Cube since an early age.

“He can do it easily in 45 seconds. It’s just a gift he has,” Butler’s father said. “He does word puzzles. Most kids run around or something. He did PlayStation, but prefers educational games like Sudoku. He does stuff to stimulate his mind and he’s always been a student of the game. He knows what he’s doing out there, but also what you are doing.”

Butler is known more for his ball-hawking defense than his offensive prowess, but broke NBA Hall of Famer Reggie Miller’s all-time scoring record at Riverside Poly High School in Moreno Valley, California, when he went over the 1,800-point mark.

“He doesn’t care about awards. He is very selfless,” Butler Sr. said. “He could have broken the record by more, but he’s not that way. When he was playing a team that was not up to par where he could pad his stats, he would not do that. His selflessness will take him far in life because people remember all you do for people and he likes doing for others.”

Pope is an even bigger Butler fan now than when he signed him.

“The savvy he is playing with now, his maturity in the game, and the fact that he’s not blindly racing downhill. He’s a prober now and his manipulating all the pieces on the court is what allows him to be so good. I’m telling you, he’s growing so fast in his game right now,” Pope said.

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Senior setter Emma Grome has had a historic career at Kentucky that includes being named Southeastern Conference Player of the Year as a sophomore, multiple-time All-American and part of four straight SEC championships.

“My time here has been awesome. It’s a little sad it is my last year and feels it is ending so much quicker than I expected,” said the Cincinnati native. “It has hit me for a while that it is almost done. It was awesome to see so many fans supporting us on Senior Day because our fans make it so much better.”

Grome admits she was thinking about the end of her career going into every match late in the season. Kentucky beat Cleveland State and Minnesota in NCAA Tournament play in Memorial Coliseum last week in her final matches in Lexington (Kentucky will play Missouri in the NCAA regional semifinals in Pittsburgh).

“Now we only have one more guaranteed game. It’s so much fun to be on the court playing with this team. It’s hard not to enjoy that, especially when we played so well the final part of the season,” Grome said.

The senior standout says she will miss the “volleyball community” more than anything when she leaves UK.

“The people here are incredible. It is just such a tight-knit community. You have so many people supporting this program. Other programs do not have that,” Grome said. “I have been blessed for four years. It’s going to be hard leaving this place, but I will miss the people the most.”

Grome got to UK after the Cats had won the national championship the previous season. She had to take over for setter Madison Lilley, the nation’s top player during UK’s title season. Against Minnesota, she had 51 assists to push her career total to 4,963 — one more than Lilley.

“I definitely am proud of what we have done. It’s a lot to think about. Honestly, it’s crazy how far I’ve come just as a player and a person here. I’ve been really grateful just to be a part of this experience, let alone help them get to that same level of success,” Grome said. “I don’t know, to think that (winning the SEC) has happened eight years in a row is insane. That just shows how truly special it is here.”

When Lilley left UK everyone wondered how coach Craig Skinner could replace her. Now the question will be who can be the next Emma Grome when her career does end.

“You never know who will be next. They will have two great setters in (redshirt freshman) Ava Sarafa and (signee) Cassie O’Brien. I am excited to see who gets the spot,” Grome said. “I think the program will continue to get better and better.

“I am sure this program will find someone (to replace her). You know this program always does. They regroup every year and I’ll be cheering them on.”

Grome is much more comfortable talking about others than she is talking about her own play. That’s why talk of the next Emma Grome seems surreal to her.

“It is really sweet to hear those things. It is hard to believe. I don’t think of myself that way. I want to get better and push myself to be the best. There are a lot of good players out there. I just try to get better, but don’t think I am anything special. I am just part of the team,” she said.

* * *

Vince Marrow is never shy about praising a player, but he really likes signee Mikkel Skinner of Greer, South Carolina.

A friend told Marrow about the 6-foot-4, 225-pound tight end when he was verbally committed to Cincinnati and the UK recruiting coordinator eventually got him to flip to UK.

“Skinner is probably the best athletic tight end I have signed since I got here,” Marrow said. “This kid is a four-star (recruit) He runs 4.66 (seconds in the 40-yard dash). South Carolina and Ohio State came in on him hard.

“I am telling you I was holding my breath (until he signed). You just don’t steal a kid from another SEC school (South Carolina) and they really wanted him. He is going to be a really good player.”

He was ranked as the No. 8 overall recruit in South Carolina and 20th best tight end nationally. He played receiver, tight end, running back, linebacker and defensive end at Riverside High School. He caught 44 passes for 819 yards and 12 touchdowns this season and also had 31 carries for 321 yards and six scores. On defense, he had 12 tackles and five sacks.

Skinner also plays basketball and runs track. His basketball team reached the South Carolina AAAA title game in 2023. He had 11 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks in the semifinals. He ran the 200-meter dash in 23.78 seconds as a junior.

Kentucky has had two tight ends, Khamari Anderson and Jordan Dingle, enter the transfer portal. Dingle is from Bowling Green and Anderson was a four-star recruit out of Michigan.

“I know I have put a lot of good tight ends in that room. Guys want the ball. I met with Khamari. He is 6-5, 252. There will be a lot of people that want him,” Marrow said.

That leaves UK with Josh Kattus, who saw his younger brother decommit from Kentucky and sign with Clemson, and Willie Rodriguez to go with Skinner next season.

“Having Kattus and Willie in there is two pretty good tight ends. We will probably take another one in the portal, but we will be OK,” Marrow said.

* * *

Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White had his name mentioned a lot in speculation about where he might end up coaching next year after UK’s 4-8 season.

White has turned down other job offers during his time at Kentucky and coach Mark Stoops noted after the Louisville loss how continuity on the defensive coaching staff had been a plus in recent years for UK.

White takes the speculation in stride and it has become obvious both White and his family like life in Lexington.

“It’s a yearly deal. It’s more of a testament to what this defensive unit does year in and year out and what this coaching staff does,” White said. “Again, on those deals, I’ve got to sit down and talk with Coach (Stoops) in terms of making sure this is where I’m safe.

“Listen, just like the players have to own up to what they’ve done wrong, I’ve gotta sit down and get corrected some things that we need to get corrected, and that’s where my focus is.”

White said his current focus was figuring out how to “get the roster right” and then trying to figure “out what kind of scheme” Kentucky needs to use.

“Hopefully, I’ve got the ability to do that here,” White said.

The Kentucky defense has to replace its starting line. Deone Walker has declared for the NFL draft, Keeshawn Silver is entering the transfer portal and Tre’Vonn Rybka is out of eligibility. Backup lineman Octavious Oxendine is also out of eligibility.

Seniors Josaih Hayes and Kahlil Saunders are scheduled to return along with several true freshmen who played very little this season.

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Quote of the Week: “He is a guy that we’ve loved from the beginning. You know, he’s just a great person. Got a great personality. Very athletic. The size we’re looking for. He’s another guy we’re very excited about. We’re working hard to get the O-line fixed for next year and for the future,” coach Mark Stoops, on UK signee Darrin Strey.

Quote of the Week 2: “He is a very humble young man. He likes to give credit away and that is a great trait. Offensively he is a gifted passer, has a big, long athletic body and finishes well at the rim. Defensively he changes the game with his ability to block shots and rebound. He’s a humble, gentle giant off the floor, too,” Kentucky associate coach Mark Fox, on center Amari Williams.

Quote of the Week 3: “She’s my little mini-me. We’re joined at the hip. We watch film like we would watch Netflix, and we just go, and we’re on the same page. It’s really fun watching her bring up the younger players to get them on that same page with her,” Kentucky women’s coach Kenny Brooks, on point guard Georgia Amoore.