By: Casey Madison (X/BleedBlueCasey) | Photo Credit: The Courier Journal
If there’s one thing clear from Mark Pope’s second SEC Media Day as Kentucky’s head coach, it’s that he’s not easing into the job. He has a genuine excitement for what’s ahead this season. The SEC saved the best for the last, and Pope wasn’t there to make headlines or drop buzzwords. He was there to set a tone: Kentucky basketball is moving forward, and it’s doing it with the purpose of winning No. 9
“We See Nine Everywhere We Go”
There’s no hiding from Kentucky’s expectations. Pope didn’t try to.
When asked about the Wildcats debuting at No. 9 in the SEC preseason poll, he didn’t dodge the question, he smiled:
“I was elated that we came in at number nine,” he said. “We see nine everywhere we go. We think nine is in our future destiny, and we’re chasing it hard.”
Wardrobe Jokes and Real Basketball Talk
Of course, Pope couldn’t make it through the day without a question about his SEC Media Day wardrobe from a year ago:
“I lost a lot of sleep on my wardrobe choices last night,” Pope joked. “Decided to go with a more conservative sport coat this time. But we’ll run it back some other way next year.”
Pope spent a lot of time breaking down how this roster, a mix of veterans and young pieces with some valuable upside.
To nobodies surprise, he wants spacing, shooting, he wants to play fast. Not just in transition, but in decision-making.
“We’re going to shoot a ton of threes, but they’re going to be great threes,” Pope said. “The kind that come from movement, not standing around.”
He grinned: “If you’re standing, you’re watching. And if you’re watching, you’re sitting next to me.”
Otega Oweh: “We All Just Want to Win”
One of the biggest questions heading into the day was the health of Otega Oweh, Kentucky’s preseason SEC Player of the Year pick. The Oklahoma transfer has been sidelined with a lower-body injury for nearly ten weeks, but Pope cleared the air on any long-term concerns:
“If you’re going to have a guy miss a couple weeks of practice, he’s the guy to do it,” Pope said. “We’re walking on eggshells with him, and then he gets a steal, races down the floor, takes off from outside the free throw line, and dunks it. You just shake your head. Young people, we love these young people.”
Recently reported, Otega Oweh is back to participating in full-contact practices, something that is going to be needed when Kentucky faces No. 1 ranked Purdue on October 24th in Rupp Arena for their first exhibition game.
“Everybody here just wants to win,” Oweh said. “Nobody’s worried about minutes, nobody’s worried about touches. It’s about competing and doing it together.”
How are Brandon Garrison and Malachi Moreno stepping up knowing they’ll be shorthanded in the front court to start the season due to the absence of Jayden Quaintance?
Pope lit up when asked about his frontcourt — especially freshman big man Malachi Moreno and Oklahoma State transfer Brandon Garrison.
“It’s a fistfight every day between those two,” he said smiling: “Brandon [Garrison in] in unbelievable shape. Fastest guy up and down the floor, and Malachi’s shooting over 80 percent in live play. They’re both getting better because they’re beating the heck out of each other.”
Pope laughed recalling one moment: “We had a dice game going, and it got so intense one of my assistants broke a chair. That’s who we are. If you’re not competing, you’re not breathing.”
Jaland Lowe might be a junior, but he talks like a guy who’s been running the show for years. At Media Day, he sounded less like a newcomer and more like one of the voices this team will lean on this season:
“Coach Pope preaches competitiveness every day… If you’re not fighting, you’re not playing. That’s how it should be here. You’re not promised anything, you earn it.”
The maturity and leadership has already impressed teams and BBN this offseason, but even Pope called Lowe “one of the most poised young players” he’s ever coached.
And Lowe’s message was consistent with everyone else’s, this Kentucky basketball team isn’t facing chemistry:
“We’ve got real love in that locker room,” he said. “You can feel it.”
Facing Purdue: “A Gift”
One of the biggest storylines heading into the season is Kentucky’s preseason exhibition matchup with No. 1 Purdue. While most coaches are worried or scared to schedule tough opponents, one thing is for sure: Mark Pope definitely isn’t.
“We kind of put the schedule together to ease our way in, and now we get the number one team in the country,” he said, “It’s a gift. Our guys will be super nervous, Rupp’s going to be on fire, and we’ll see things that make us shake our heads. Both good and bad.”
“But that’s what you want. You want the lights. You want to see who you are.”
That quote sums up everything about Pope’s Kentucky: refusing to hide from the stage, and embracing what Kentucky Basketball truly means to this fanbase.
The joy is real, but don’t get it twisted, this team isn’t just out here to have fun. They’re here to win, fight, and to bring Kentucky basketball back where it belongs. It’s been a while since the Big Blue Nation felt this kind of hope. Maybe that’s the story of Mark Pope’s second season: the joy is real, and so is the chase for No. 9.
