LEXINGTON, Ky. — After months of trying, and failing, to land an offseason transfer, Kentucky basketball and coach John Calipari finally hit paydirt Monday, as former West Virginia forward Tre Mitchell committed to the Wildcats.

Mitchell arrived in Lexington for an official visit Saturday, committing two days later.

“Kentucky basketball and its fan base speaks for itself," Mitchell said in a statement. "An opportunity to be a part of something like this doesn’t come around very often. Coach Cal is a Hall of Fame coach who understands the game and the players he wants to play for him, but it’s the lifelong relationships with his players that stood out to me the most. That only happens when you know someone cares about their players."

Mitchell entered the NCAA transfer portal Thursday after spending last season at West Virginia. His departure followed the resignation of longtime Mountaineer coach Bob Huggins, who stepped down June 17, a day after he was charged with driving under the influence in Pittsburgh. Two other Mountaineers joined Mitchell in the transfer portal Thursday: guards Joe Toussaint and Kerr Kriisa, who committed to WVU on April 5 after playing for Arizona the last three seasons. Kriisa withdrew his name from the portal Sunday to return to West Virginia.

Mitchell will be the eighth newcomer on Kentucky's 2023-24 roster, joining the Wildcats' seven-member signing class and a trio of returning players in senior Antonio Reeves and sophomores Adou Thiero and Ugonna Onyenso.

"My team and personal goals this year are one and the same, grow and win as much as possible," Mitchell said. "With a young core, growth is on the horizon and it won’t hurt for these guys to have someone with experience in college basketball to lean on when they need it."

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Change has been a constant for Mitchell in college, which should help him in making the quick transition.

Prior to joining West Virginia, he spent the 2021-22 season at Texas. Before that, Mitchell played in 44 games (43 starts) over two seasons (2019-20 and 2020-21) at UMass. Calipari's first head coaching opportunity came at UMass, where he compiled an on-court record of 193-71 (.731) in eight seasons from 1989 to 1996 and led the Minutemen to the Final Four in his final season. Like Mitchell, Calipari is also from the Pittsburgh area.

"Tre is from Pittsburgh and I’ve known him for years," Calipari said on Twitter. "This was a unique situation, but as soon as he put his name in the portal, he was a player I knew we needed to pursue.

"He brings leadership, experience, size and versatility and is a great fit for what we want to do. I know this is a win for us and I believe this will be a win for him too. We are excited to have him as a part of our program."

What Tre Mitchell's commitment means for Kentucky basketball roster

Mitchell's addition gives the Wildcats a sorely needed dose of experience in the front court. Prior to his commitment, UK's sole non-freshman big man was Onyenso, who appeared in only 16 games — he was on the court just 110 total minutes — last season.

With freshman forward Aaron Bradshaw's availability at the outset of the season in doubt after reportedly suffering a foot injury, Mitchell likely will be in the starting lineup, alongside Onyenso, to begin the 2023-24 campaign.

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Mitchell started 32 of West Virginia's 34 contests last season, averaging 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds in 30 minutes per game. He shot 47% (143 of 304) from the field and grabbed a team-high 142 defensive rebounds. Mitchell also had 61 assists, 21 blocks and 28 steals in 2022-23.

The 6-foot-9, 225-Mitchell also provides a dimension the Wildcats lacked last season: a "stretch four" who knocked down 36.4% (36 of 99) of his 3-point attempts in his lone season with the Mountaineers. That percentage would have ranked second among UK's players in 2022-23, trailing only Reeves' 39.8% (80 for 201).

Mitchell was a consensus four-star prospect in the 2019 class. He was ranked as the No. 2 player in Connecticut that cycle, per the 247Sports composite, behind Akok Akok, who enrolled at UConn before transferring to Georgetown.

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

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Tre Mitchell transfer news: West Virginia F picks UK and John Calipari