Kentucky is an Opportunity of a Lifetime for Ansley Almonor
Life moved quickly for Ansley Almonor. Within a week of his initial contact from the Kentucky coaching staff he became a Wildcat. In between were multiple phone calls with the coaches, a Zoom meeting, and an official visit.
There is much about Almonor for Mark Pope to like. The 6-foot-7, 220 pound power forward from Fairleigh Dickinson averaged 16.4 points last season as a junior. But he also is a lifetime 38.5% three-point shooter, and has made 180 for his career. This fits well into the three-centric offense that Pope employs. His BYU was second in the country in three-point attempts last season.
Almonor spoke with Cats Illustrated, and among other things walked us through an unusual recruitment that was a surprise to him as well.
CI: What can Kentucky fans expect from you as a player?
Almonor: “I feel like I’m an elite shooter. I have great movement without the ball. I can guard and play hard every day at all times.”
CI: What position do you see yourself?
Almonor: “I’m more of a four.”
CI: Is that how Coach Pope has envisioned playing you?
Almonor: “He’s got me coming out playing at the four.”
CI: How long before the Zoom call last weekend did Kentucky get in touch with you, and how did it happen?
Almonor: “Actually it’s crazy. They contacted me a week ago today (May 8). That was when I got the email from them. They wanted to see where I was at in my recruiting process, and if I was interested to reach out.”
CI: Were you totally caught off guard by that?
Almonor: “Yeah, totally off guard. I thought it was fake at first, and then after they reached out I was like this is real.”
CI: When you figured out it was real what was going through your mind?
Almonor: “I was like dang, this is really Kentucky. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime.”
CI: Could you tell if they were serious right off the bat?
Almonor: “Yeah, I actually could. They contacted me Wednesday night on the email. Then Thursday I spoke with four coaches on the staff. That was when I knew they were definitely interested. I spoke with Coach Pope on Thursday, and he was telling me. So that’s when I figured out that these guys are really interested in me.”
CI: Did they have to use a sales pitch at all?
Almonor: “They definitely did use a sales pitch. They told me they feel like I’m a perfect fit in their system. He likes players like me. They’ve got a bunch of good players coming in. I can compete for playing time, so I’m not just going to be over here stuck at the end of the bench. It’s like I will have a chance to actually play here. All of those things meant something to me.”
CI: What else appealed to Coach Pope besides your ability to shoot the ball?
Almonor: “Just my ability to cut, my IQ in cutting. They love my ability to cut and move without the ball. He said my IQ without the ball he definitely loved.”
CI: Have you set through lots of presentations the way they will play offense?
Almonor: “I sat through a few of them, but not an extensive amount. He just gave me the gist and the vibe of what he wants me to do, and I love it.”
CI: Have you watched any previous BYU games on your own?
Almonor: “Yeah, I was actually watching a video breakdown of their offense and stuff.”
CI: What do you like about it, and how does it fit what you do?
Almonor: “I love how everything is about feeling the game, and you need an IQ to play in their system. There are no set plays or anything. It’s just concepts. He plays fast, and gets up a lot of three’s. It’s just a fun type of system to play for.”
CI: Where are you most comfortable on the floor?
Almonor: “I like it on the perimeter, and there is where he has all four of his guys that aren’t a center. So I love that about his offense.”
CI: We are all getting to know Coach Pope just like you are. Tell us what kind of guy he seems like to you.
Almonor: “He’s great. He’s a great guy. He’s a great story teller. He’s got great energy. He’s real. He’s down to earth. He’s honest, and I like it a lot.”
CI: He does seem like he’s got over the top energy about him.
Almonor: “Yeah, he definitely does. He definitely has a lot of energy (laughing).”
CI: Do the staff members take on the same type of energy he does?
Almonor: “I feel like the staff is very diverse. They’ve got all different types of personalities. I feel like the whole staff is going to mesh together perfectly, actually.”
CI: What do you know about Kentucky Basketball from the past?
Almonor: “It’s a winning tradition, a blue-blood. It’s one of the biggest brands in college sports.”
CI: What did you think about the campus and the facilities from the visit?
Almonor: “It was beautiful, second to none facilities basketball-wise. The campus was great. I can’t wait to get down there.”
CI: Did you get any instances of how basketball-crazy Kentucky fans are?
Almonor: “Yeah, definitely. On the flight a lady was telling my mom about how she has season tickets, and inherited them from her father who had them 20-plus years, or something like that. Yeah, so I found out about it on the plane flight. It was crazy.”
CI: What did your parents think about it?
Almonor: “They love it too. They think it is a great opportunity for me, and a great place of for me. They are happy and excited.”
CI: Any message you want to give Kentucky fans?
Almonor: “I’m going to give you all I’ve got. I want you to know that when you see me out on the court I’m going to give it everything I’ve got. You’ll never get anything less from me.”
CI: Are there any of the new guys coming in on the roster that you know or you are familiar with?
Almonor: “I’ve heard of a few of them. Koby Brea was a roommate of my high school teammate at Dayton, so I’m familiar with his game. I played against Otega (Oweh) in high school.”