Kentucky Basketball pursued Akron transfer Amani Lyles before Cincinnati commitment

Kentucky Basketball was apparently making a push for Akron transfer small forward Amani Lyles before he committed to Cincinnati on Thursday, according to Joe Tipton of On3.

Lyles, who stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 226 pounds, spent all four of his collegiate seasons at Akron before entering the transfer portal. He committed to Cincinnati in hopes of playing a fifth season while navigating the eligibility questions surrounding ongoing court cases.

According to Jack Pilgrim of KSR, uncertainty about whether Lyles would be eligible to play this season was one of the main reasons Kentucky backed off. Pilgrim also reported that Cincinnati believed Lyles was destined to commit to Kentucky, but Lyles didn’t want to wait to decide, ultimately leading him to become a Bearcat.

Lyles is coming off the best season of his collegiate career, averaging 14.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 55.8% from the field. He also shot 37.3% from 3-point range on 3.6 attempts per game, making him a potential stretch 4 option who could have fit well into Mark Pope’s lineup at Kentucky.

Pope still has one roster spot available, and it will be interesting to see whether he fills it before the season begins. With the season less than two weeks away, however, the Wildcats have little time to add another player.