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Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball to hold open tryout Aug. 30

Kentucky men's basketball coach Mark Pope announced Friday that the program will host an open tryout later this month for potential walk-ons for the 2024-25 season.

The Wildcats, a preseason top-25 team, are asking interested players to submit their height, weight, position and contact information for their high school basketball coach.

The tryout is open to all academically eligible, full-time Kentucky students. According to the announcement, the team will narrow its list of potential walk-ons and invite preferred candidates to the tryout Aug. 30.

Though an open tryout is rare for a blue-blood college basketball program, Kentucky is not the first to hold one.

Just last year, Louisville coach Kenny Payne held such a tryout and asked the public to send walk-ons "our way" because the team was desperate to add more talent during a challenging season.

In women's basketball, TCU was forced to add four walk-ons last season through an open tryout after multiple players were sidelined with injuries.

To be clear, Kentucky is not in such a situation.

The Wildcats will be led by transfers Jaxson Robinson and Lamont Butler, along with a collection of talent that Pope -- who as a player helped Kentucky win a national title in 1996 -- has assembled for his first year coaching in Lexington.