Mark Pope has brought in two new players at the power forward position, and these two players will be competing over the next few months to see who will start for the Wildcats.
The two players that Coach Pope brought in at power forward are Mo Dioubate, who is an Alabama transfer, and Andrija Jelavic, who is a Croatian forward.
Right now, most project Dioubate to start for the Wildcats. Last season at Alabama, Dioubate averaged 7.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game for the Crimson Tide. He is a player who has a ton of NCAA Tournament experience, as he was a part of Alabama’s Final Four team.
Mar 21, 2025; Cleveland, OH, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide forward Mouhamed Dioubate (10) reacts in the first half against the Robert Morris Colonials during the NCAA Tournament First Round at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Jelavic is more of a wildcard in this power forward room for the Wildcats, and he just arrived on campus a few weeks ago. The 21-year-old freshman has been playing professional ball overseas for a few years now, and this experience will help this adjustment to college hoops not be as difficult.
Jelavic is a solid shooter and ball handler for his size, but he is nowhere near the defender and rebounder that Dioubate is. Both of these two players are skilled in every aspect of the game, meaning that while Jelavic is a better offensive player, Dioubate is not bad on that end of the floor. The same can be said when comparing Jelavic’s defense to Dioubate’s.
Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope calls out to his team Friday, March 28, 2025, during the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The other nice part about having two players with different strong points like this is that Coach Pope can play each player more if their skillsets fit what Kentucky needs to beat a team.
Right now, knowing how much firepower this Kentucky offense will have in the starting lineup, it probably makes sense to start Dioubate. If Jelavic adapts well to the Pope system and proves that he is a high-level defender on top of his offensive skill set, he could take over as the starter during the season.
This is an excellent problem for the Kentucky coaching staff to have, as there is a ton of firepower in the PF room. The power forward position is going to be a strength of this Kentucky basketball team.