Kentucky views 4-star PG Chase Lumpkin as an immediate impact freshman

Chase Lumpkin put together a productive week of hoops at the Nike Peach Jam. Suiting up for Jet Academy, the four-star point guard appeared in five games in North Augusta, SC. He played well in front of the dozens of college coaches in attendance — including members of Kentucky’s staff. Lumpkin, who clocks in at 6-foot-4, averaged 17 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.8 steals, and 1.8 assists at Peach Jam. Ranked No. 31 nationally in the 2027 class by the Rivals Industry Ranking, he’s hearing from tons of high-major programs. Lumpkin has already locked up official visits this summer/fall with Michigan, Alabama, and Southern California. UConn, Louisville, Villanova, Tennessee, and Miami (FL) are just a few others that have offered. Kentucky, which reached out with a scholarship in late April, could be next to host him on campus for an OV. “Definitely,” he said earlier this week about visiting UK. “I’m thinking about setting that up.” New assistant coach Mo Williams is the one who extended Lumpkin the offer. As a former NBA All-Star and longtime veteran of the league, Williams’ track record appeals to someone like Lumpkin, who wants to follow a similar career path. He says he’s “building a good relationship” with Williams right now. Williams even recently visited Lumpkin at his high school in Georgia. “They believe in me to play as a freshman,” Lumpkin added. “Obviously, minutes aren’t a guarantee at a school like Kentucky, of course. I got a really good relationship with Coach Mark Pope and Mo Williams.” As he mentioned, head coach Mark Pope is also playing a role in this recruitment. Lumpkin says he’s attracted to Pope’s willingness to let his guys “play very freely”, pointing to the offensive sets they run to create open shots. Lumpkin has actually seen that in person already. He was in Rupp Arena last fall for Kentucky’s exhibition win over Purdue, where he got to meet with Pope and the rest of the staff. “I really like him,” Lumpkin said of Pope. “I think he’s a really good coach. I know a lot of people got a lot of things to say about him, but I don’t think that determines who he is as a coach or a person. I really love his play style. I love how he treats his team. I got to see them in the locker room after a preseason game against Purdue and I really enjoyed how he talked to his team.”