LEXINGTON — The Kentucky basketball roster added another accomplished player to the fold Thursday: former Fairleigh Dickinson forward Ansley Almonor.

The 6-foot-7, 219-pound Almonor appeared in 32 games (with 31 starts) for the Knights last season. He earned first-team Northeast Conference honors after averaging 16.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per outing.

Almonor knocked down 43.6% (178 for 408) of his shots from the field, including 39.4% (93 of 236) behind the 3-point line. His 93 triples tied a single-season program record, set by Manny Ubilla in 2007-08. He also shot 80% (76 for 95) at the free-throw line. Almonor's 30 points versus Le Moyne on Feb. 24 were a single-game personal best.

During the 2022-23 campaign, Almonor played in 36 games, making 34 starts. He was part of the starting lineup for all three of the team's NCAA Tournament games, which included its 16-over-1 upset of Purdue in the first round. Almonor averaged 13.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per outing that season while leading the Knights in total rebounds (172).

Almonor is the eighth player first-year UK coach Mark Pope has plucked from the transfer portal, joining Koby Brea (Dayton), Lamont Butler (San Diego State), Andrew Carr (Wake Forest), Brandon Garrison (Oklahoma State), Kerr Kriisa (West Virginia), Otega Oweh (Oklahoma) and Amari Williams (Drexel). The Wildcats also have added former BYU signee Collin Chandler and in-state high school stars Travis Perry (the state's all-time scoring leader) and Trent Noah.

Ansley Almonor highlights: Watch Kentucky basketball transfer portal commit

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky basketball, Mark Pope add Ansley Almonor via transfer portal