Kentucky lands commitment from West Virginia transfer Tre Mitchell
The West Virginia Mountaineers officially lost their first player as a result of former HC Bob Huggins' resignation following his June 16 DUI arrest.
On Monday, transfer Tre Mitchell announced his commitment to John Calipari's Kentucky Wildcats after visiting campus this past weekend and has one year of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game for the Mountaineers in 2022-23 and won't need to sit out for the Wildcats as he's a graduate transfer.
Kentucky will be the fourth school of Mitchell's collegiate career as he played two seasons at UMass before transferring to Texas in 2021 and then West Virginia last offseason.
Adding a West Virginia transfer has already produced results for Calipari, considering he turned Oscar Tshiebwe into a consensus first-team All-American and a unanimous National Player of the Year Award recipient.
While Mitchell isn't the prolific rebounder Tshiebwe was, he brings much-needed experience to a Wildcats' roster that will feature seven freshmen next season. With Mitchell in the mix, Calipari can get creative when constructing his lineups due to his new star's versatility, evident by his 34.7 career three-point shooting percentage.
Mitchell's commitment boosts Kentucky's national championship potential significantly, whereas West Virginia, which considered itself a dark horse contender, is left facing even more challenges this offseason.
The Mountaineers, who named Josh Eilert as interim head coach Saturday, already needed to replace Mitchell but will now require alternative options for the depth that would've been behind him. The program saw forwards Mohamed Wague and James Okonkwo join guard Joe Toussaint in the transfer portal on Monday, leaving West Virginia severely lacking in the frontcourt.
Huggins' irresponsible decision has put West Virginia and its players in an uncomfortable position. Now Calipari and the Wildcats are reaping the benefits, with other schools likely to follow their example.
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