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Ansley Almonor commits to Kentucky Wildcats Basketball
Once more, the Kentucky Wildcats are in the running. A commitment has been made by Fairleigh Dickinson forward Ansley Almonor to Mark Pope and the Cats. Almonor will be eligible for one more year.
After graduating from Our Saviour Lutheran School in New York as an unranked class of 2021 recruit, Almonor started his college career. As a true freshman, he participated in just 24 games (four starts), averaging 9.6 minutes per game, 3.5 points, and 1.7 rebounds.
He hit 10 of his last 21 3-point tries and finished with double figures in three of his final seven games, demonstrating the beginnings of an impact player. The 6-foot-7, 219-pound Almonor developed into one of the top players overall and shooters during the following two seasons.
During the 2022–23 season, he averaged 13.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 43.4% field goal shooting (38.1% on threes) per game. After defeating Texas Southern in the play-in round, the 16-seed Knights advanced to the NCAA Tournament and defeated Purdue in the Round of 64, making history as the second 16-seed to defeat a 1-seed.
However, they were defeated by Florida Atlantic in the Round of 32. Almonor scored 23 points on 5/11 shooting (5/8 on threes) and pulled down eight rebounds in the victory over Texas Southern. However, he was limited to just eight points overall on 2/12 shooting (2/8 from outside the arc) with 10 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 turnovers, and 4 turnovers in the games against Purdue and FAU.
In a disappointing 83-61 defeat to Pittsburgh that year, he put up another noteworthy performance, scoring 10 points on 4/9 shooting (1/4 from outside the arc), adding two rebounds, two blocks, an assist, and a steal. Almonor averaged 16.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 43.6% field goal shooting (39.4% on 3-balls) per game in the 2023–24 campaign. In a 104-71 defeat at Illinois, he put up his best performance, scoring 20 points on 7/16 shooting (4/9 on threes), grabbing three rebounds, dishing out one assist, blocking one shot, and stealing one in 32 minutes.
Additionally, he recorded 21 points on 7/16 shooting (4/12 from outside the arc), three rebounds, two assists, and a block in a 71-70 victory over the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion Saint Peter’s team.
Approximately half of Almonor’s shooting attempts come from deep, with him attempting 7.4 three-pointers per game (12.8 total tries) last season and 5.5 the year before (11.1 attempts).
In addition, he has an 82% career free-throw shooting percentage on 2.1 attempts per game. Almonor was typically used as a stretch 4 at a school like Kentucky that plays in the SEC, but he was more effective as a 5 for the tiny Knights.
After Brandon Garrison, Andrew Carr, and Amari Williams, he will be Kentucky’s fourth big man; however, Otega Oweh should also see some 4 minutes in small ball, like he did against Oklahoma.
