LEXINGTON, Ky. (WYMT) – The Kentucky men’s and women’s basketball teams gathered at the Historic Memorial Coliseum and talked to the media on Tuesday, Oct. 8 about the upcoming season.

Both programs are beginning a new era under first-year head coaches at UK. Mark Pope took the reins on the men’s basketball side, while Kenny Brooks will lead the way for the women’s program.

Head coach Mark Pope said a philosophy that he plans to endorse for himself, his staff, and the players while handling the pressure of being apart of Kentucky Basketball to “be still”.

“We’re spending some time on our staff and with our team, talking about finding moments to be still,” Pope said.

Pope has raved about the character of this year’s group and believes that character paired with faith in the process is what will bring Big Blue Nation the brand of Kentucky Basketball that will compete at a high level.

“There are great people with really terrific insides and we’re relying on that a lot for them to come together as a team,” Pope said. “Making plays for your teammates is contagious and the trick is you have to lean into it really hard with faith to get the process started.”

While there is plenty of excitement for both seasons to begin, head coach Kenny Brooks did deliver some unfortunate news.

Brooks informed the media that graduate transfer Jordan Obi will be out until January and then re-evaluated.

Brooks wasted no time getting to work on his new roster that features 12 new players, eight transfers, just two returners, and the program’s first All-American since No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick Rhyne Howard.

“We didn’t just want to get the best players,” Brooks said. “We wanted to get the right players. Players that can come in and represent this university, our program, and help us start something special. I thought we did a really good job of assembling a really good roster. It’s a group of great kids who just work.”

Kentucky basketball fans will see the teams grace the court for the first time this season on Friday, Oct. 11 at 7:00 p.m. for Big Blue Madness.

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