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 Northeast Conference’s top players overall and shooters over the course of the following two seasons.
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.
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In addition, he scored 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 Tournament-winning Saint Peter’s squad.
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). Also, he shoots 82% of free throws.
