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Fairleigh Dickinson transfer Ansley Almonor had already thought about how he might fit into coach Mark Pope’s plans this season even before UK started summer practice last week.

 

“I see myself fitting in perfectly, especially after the way the coaching staff spoke to me. But even more important than how they see me fitting in is how I see myself,” Almonor said. “I feel a perfect big, I will be able  to come in and contribute big minutes and to winning.”

 

He averaged 16.4 points per game last season and shot almost 40 percent from 3-point range to give Pope a 6-7 wing who can stretch the floor.

 

Almonor is one of nine transfers on Pope’s first UK teams and he sees that as a plus, not a minus.

 

“That is what Coach wanted when he recruited this team. That is why I came here,” Almonor said. “Everybody will be fighting for minutes and to be better in practice. I love that kind of environment.

 

“That’s how you get the best out of your team and that’s how teams stay great when teammates go at each other. It makes for a great environment to have a great team.”

 

The Fairleigh Dickinson transfer also believes the experience UK has will pay off in close games.

 

“When it comes to closing out games in general, experience usually is a deciding factor,” Almonor said. “We have so much experience to help us. We do not have to worry about someone being in a position for the first time in a close game.

 

“Everybody here has played in big games. You do not have to worry about us having to learn how to close out a close game because we have already learned. We will go out there and execute to close out wins because of our experience.”