As an unranked prospect coming out of high school to only starting in four games as a freshman at Fairleigh Dickinson, Ansley Almonor’s journey to Kentucky was an improbable one.
The 6-foot-7 former Knight earned First Team All-Northeastern Conference last season playing in Teaneck, New Jersey. As a junior, Almonor averaged 16.4 points per game on 39.4% shooting from three.
“You always want to go to the highest level,” Almonor said. “When it comes to college, Kentucky is the highest level of college basketball.”
Now, Almonor is walking into the brightest lights of his college career, but the New York native has always kept Kentucky in a special place in his heart.
“Growing up, I had like a little poster of a Kentucky logo in front of my bed,” he said. “So every day I woke up, I would see it, because that’s where I wanted to be. Just envisioning me putting on that jersey one day.”
At a young age, Almonor was inspired to be a Wildcat.
“Isaiah Briscoe was my favorite player because he’s from Jersey, he was literally my idol,” Almonor said. “He was so great in high school, like every game was sold out.”
Briscoe, a former Kentucky guard, shared the backcourt with talents such as Tyler Ulis, Jamal Murray, De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk. Briscoe’s hometown of Newmark, New Jersey, is roughly an hour away from where Almonor grew up.
Unlike the Wildcats he admired in his youth, Almonor was a zero-star recruit coming out of high school.
“It’s definitely surreal, you know, I’ve been dreaming about, working for it my whole life,” Almonor said. “So, it means a lot that I’m able to be here and represent (Kentucky).”
As a freshman at Fairleigh Dickinson, Almonor averaged 3.5 points and only 1.4 rebounds in less than 10 minutes per game.
“(Ansley) is a self-made player in a number of different ways,” UK Head Coach Mark Pope said. “Who he is now is so diametrically different than who he was when he walked onto campus his freshman year.”
Almonor earned Northeastern Conference’s Most Improved Player award and a spot on the conference’s all-third team in his sophomore year after posting 13.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and nearly a block a game while starting 34 games for the Knights.
Additionally, the unranked prospect has steadily increased his 3-point percentage and 3-point attempts each season.
“He’s become an elite level scoring, shooting, growing into passing big,” Pope said. “He’s a perfect fit for us. I’m so excited to have him.”
Out of roughly 1,800 players in this year’s transfer portal, Pope believes he found a stud in Almonor.
Similarly to Almonor, Pope was a transfer himself. Prior to joining a Rick Pitino-led Kentucky team in 1993, Pope played two seasons at Washington.
“It definitely makes (Pope) relatable and easy to talk to because when somebody’s been where you want to go (in life), you just want to listen to them,” Almonor said. “You want to hear what they have to say because they’ve done everything you want to do, so if you can retrace their steps, you’ll get to where you want to go.”
Now, touting the blue and white, Almonor hopes to continue to fulfill his childhood dreams as a basketball player.
Kentucky men’s basketball will continue its preseason festivities with its annual Blue-White exhibition. The event will kick off at 6 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 18, in Historic Memorial Coliseum.
