Ansley Almonor brings valuable experience and competitiveness to UK

The Kentucky Wildcats brought in some valuable experience this offseason as Mark Pope and his new staff built out a full roster. Featuring three freshmen, the remainder of the roster has come from the transfer portal as players looked for a new home this season.

 

For Ansley Almonor, he comes to Lexington from Fairleigh Dickinson but is no stranger to the bright lights that come with college basketball. Almonor was part of the 16-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson team that knocked off 1-seeded Purdue in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

 

Almonor didn’t have a wild stat line in the game against the Boilermakers — one point on 0/4 shooting with two offensive rebounds, two steals, and one turnover in 25 minutes — but he does bring his experience from one of the biggest upsets in college basketball history. He also feels like it has helped him as he makes the transition to the bright lights of Lexington.

“I feel like it definitely helped me, being in that spotlight and stuff like that. It gets you used to it,” Almonor said in a recent interview with local reporters. “The first time, it’s like you’re starstruck. You’re like a deer in headlights, but now that I’ve been there, I definitely feel like it’s helped me with my experience when it comes to playing games like those.”

Almonor spent the last three seasons with Fairleigh Dickinson and saw his scoring increase in each season. He averaged 16.4 points per game his junior season and nailed 2.9 triples per game, shooting 39.4% from deep.

 

One thing he’s enjoyed about this team in summer practice is its competitiveness.

 

“Every drill…we’ve got a lot of competitors. That’s another reason why having older guys helps because we’re all competitors and we all want to compete. Every drill, we’re out there trying to compete, trying to win, trying to go at each other, and it’s been great,” said Almonor before adding, “The competitiveness always elevates your game. You know you’re pushing yourself to limit your teammates and pushing you to the limit, and it’s always gonna help your game and grow your skills.

Despite the numerous transfers, the Cats roster is not loaded with NCAA Tournament experience as one might expect. Meaning the experience picked up in that 2022 upset by Almonor and the Knights, could help play a huge role if the Cats make a postseason run this year.