It was only about three months ago that any Kentucky basketball fan taking a peek ahead to the following season had plenty to be excited about.
The Cats had six high-level prospects in a No. 1-ranked recruiting class. And a look at UK's roster suggested that such former five-star players as Immanuel Quickley, EJ Montgomery, Kahlil Whitney and Johnny Juzang could be back for another season in Lexington.
With other highly touted returnees like Keion Brooks and Dontaie Allen in the mix, it had the makings of one of John Calipari's most formidable lineups ever.
How things have changed.
The Cats still have that star-studded No. 1 class, but Whitney left the team in January, Juzang announced a transfer in late March, Quickley appears to be leaning toward staying in the NBA Draft, and there's a good chance Montgomery will do the same.
Assuming Nick Richards joins teammates Tyrese Maxey and Ashton Hagans in turning pro _ a fair assumption _ and everyone except for Brooks and Allen are gone, that would leave Calipari with eight scholarship players. The UK coach rarely hits his maximum allotment of 13 scholarships, but he often laments situations where he doesn't have a minimum of 10 for scrimmage situations.
With the pool of available high school prospects pretty much dried up, Kentucky will have to turn to the transfer route amid a wildly uncertain recruiting landscape.
It's not going to be easy, especially for the Wildcats.
