Kentucky men’s basketball head coach Mark Pope has had immense trouble keeping his point guards healthy throughout his first two seasons in Lexington.
Over 72 games coached, Lamont Butler, Kerr Kriisa (2024–25), and Jaland Lowe (2025–26), the team’s only true point guards over that two-year span, combined to miss 63 contests, jeopardizing UK’s vision of constructing deep NCAA Tournament runs.
Was the lack of depth at the one spot the only deciding factor in Kentucky’s lack of tournament success through Pope’s first two seasons? No.
However, not having comfortable guards to general the floor can throw a massive dent into the flow of an offense, and UK danced with that devil way too many times.
Injuries aren’t expected, but anyone paying attention could’ve told you it was time for Pope to start stocking up at the most crucial position on the court, just in case he ran into that same predicament. He prepared this off-season by doing just that.
Pope brought in Zoom Diallo (junior), Jerone Morton (senior), Mason Williams (freshman), and Zyon Hawthorne (freshman), a drastic difference compared to how he constructed his first two teams.
Let’s take a closer look at the four point guards that are set to command Kentucky’s offense this season.
Zoom Diallo – Washington Transfer
The 6-foot-4, four-star transfer makes his way over to the Bluegrass as the projected starting point guard, bringing two years of Big Ten experience to the table, previously suiting up for the Washington Huskies.
Diallo progressed tremendously through his first two collegiate seasons, reshaping his freshman-year stats from 11.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game to 15.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and a team-high 4.5 assists per game as a sophomore.
Sitting behind Hannes Steinbach (18.5 PPG), a 6-foot-10 forward who was recently drafted No. 14 overall to the Charlotte Hornets, Diallo finished the 2025-26 season second in points scored per game for the Huskies.
If you’re wondering how Diallo will handle the pressure that comes with rocking Kentucky blue, he is no stranger to playing with expectations, formerly taking the court with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, AJ Dybantsa Jr., and the No. 1 overall player in the class of 2026, Tyran Stokes, at Prolific Prep High School as a four-star recruit.
While Washington failed to earn a bid to the 2026 NCAA Tournament, Diallo still elevated their offense tremendously, scoring double-digits in 28 of their 33 fixtures while also reaching 20-plus points in eight of those 33 contests as well.
Jerone Morton – Washington State Transfer
Born in Lexington, Morton, standing at 6-foot-4, makes the move back to his homeland following a one-year stint as a Washington State Cougar in the WCC.
Prior to suiting up for head coach David Riley and Washington State, Morton spent his first two collegiate seasons in the Bluegrass at Morehead State, where he started in 22 of 60 contests played in.
This past season, on a struggling Cougar squad, Morton started in 29 of 32 games played and averaged 7.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, shooting 43.8% from the field and 38.7% from beyond the 3-point arc.
Morton reached double figures in 11 games and reached a season-high 16 points against No. 9 Gonzaga on Jan. 15. He notched two rebounds and two assists against the Bulldogs as well, proving that he can compete against one of the nation’s best.
Aside from scoring, Morton totaled four-plus assists in 10 games, reaching a season-high nine assists at Saint Mary’s in an 88-82 loss on Jan. 10.
Mason Williams – Freshman
Williams, a 6-foot-2 incoming freshman, originally committed to Jackson State back on Oct. 29, 2025 and was gearing up to play for his father, Mo Williams, who was — at the time — the head coach of the Tigers.
After spending four seasons with Jackson State, there were rumblings that Mo Williams may pursue an assistant coaching role on Kentucky’s staff after Pope cleared the house following the conclusion of an underwhelming 2025-26 year.
Mo Williams ended up taking the job, and with that he and Mason touched down in Lexington, looking to form a strong presence on the court and on the bench together.
Out of Tennessee Collegiate Academy, Mason is stamped as a four-star recruit according to 247Sports, ranked as the No. 12 overall point guard in the nation and the No. 3 overall point guard in the state of Tennessee.
Mason tabbed offers from notable Division-I programs like Ole Miss, Washington and Texas Tech, while also receiving offers from East Carolina, Memphis and others.
Zyon Hawthorne – Freshman
Hawthorne, a 6-foot-2 incoming freshman, committed to Kentucky back on April 21, the same day that his older brother, Braydon Hawthorne, announced that he would return to the Cats as a redshirt freshman.
Like Braydon, Zyon Hawthorne attended Huntington Prep High School in West Virginia, where he was ranked as the No. 2 overall player in the state, sitting one spot behind Eli Sancomb, a four-star Liberty commit.
Hawthorne also held offers from La Salle, Arkansas State, and Radford.
As an unranked recruit, sitting fourth on the depth chart, it is unclear how much of a role Hawthorne will play at the point guard spot, yet having more options is needed.
All in all, it was clear that Pope needed to take a deeper approach to building up his point guards, and by adding four to the roster, two transfers and two freshmen, it’s a positive sign that Pope is learning from his previous mistakes. Now depth will finally be there at the guard position in case the season injuries continue like in years past.
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