The transfer portal has been huge for Mark Pope. In his first year at Kentucky, he practically rebuilt the entire roster using it. And he’s gearing up to do it again. But while Pope’s portal activity has been loud and in-your-face, Bruce Pearl has been working quietly in the background. Auburn isn’t just celebrating a No. 1 seed and a Final Four run—they’re already setting up for next season. And just like that, Pearl swooped in and made a move that caught everyone off guard.
But before diving into that, let’s look at the Tigers’ roster situation. Sure, they’re a No. 1 seed, but they’re not exactly stacked with blue-chip recruits. In fact, they only have one five-star player, and just two guys on the roster were top-100 high school prospects. Compare that to Duke or Houston, who have at least six each. But don’t get it twisted, there’s a method.
“You’ve got to bring in pieces that fit with what you currently have,” Auburn associate head coach Steven Pearl said. And that’s exactly what they did. Recently, Pope had a meeting with Keyshawn Hall, a 6’7”, 235-pound forward who spent last season at UCF.
If you don’t know about him…well, you should. Hall led the Big 12 in scoring with 18.8 points per game, pulled down 7.1 rebounds a night, and shot a solid 35% from deep. He’s the kind of player who can make an immediate impact. This would be Hall’s fourth team in four years. He started at UNLV, then went to George Mason, then UCF.
BREAKING: UCF transfer SF Keyshawn Hall has signed with Auburn, @PeteNakos_ reports
Hall is the No. 1 SF in the portal. https://t.co/8flfMmNyh4 pic.twitter.com/VcwZEDvDEw
— On3 (@On3sports) April 3, 2025
Naturally, when news broke about his meeting with Pope, most people assumed Kentucky had it in the bag. I mean, it’s coach Pope. He has done it before. But surprise! Reports say Hall has committed to Auburn, leaving Pope empty-handed.
And the internet can’t help but heap praise on coach Pearl. “Bruce Pearl might be the CBB portal king…” one fan raved. Another added, “Still in the tourney and making moves.” Safe to say that Pearl is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers. And right now, he’s winning.
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