Kentucky basketball offense delivers in 1st exhibition game under Mark Pope at Rupp Arena

Posted by Admin October 24, 2024 Basketball

LEXINGTON — The talk surrounding Kentucky basketball, from the moment Mark Pope took over his alma mater in April, oriented around offense. Pope’s bread and butter. What became his brand at BYU with his right-hand man, assistant coach and offensive coordinator, Cody Fueger.

Wednesday, the time for talk ended. And it became a reality in line with the dreams of every UK fan.

In its opening exhibition of the 2024-25 preseason, Kentucky used a high-flying offensive attack to overwhelm Kentucky Wesleyan, 123-52, at Rupp Arena.

“It was a good night for us. I’m really proud of our guys,” Pope said. “Their focus was tremendous. Their decision making, for the most part, was really good. They were very much on their toes, in attack mode, and that’s where we like to be.”

The Wildcats dominated every department.

They made 63.2% of their shots from the field. They knocked down 50% of their 3-point attempts. All 11 scholarship players who entered the game scored at least two points. (Senior guard Kerr Kriisa sat out Wednesday’s festivities with a hamstring injury.)

Senior guard Jaxson Robinson, the only Wildcat who previously had played for Pope after spending the past two seasons at BYU, was Wednesday’s leading scorer, pouring in 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting (5 for 9 on 3s).

Seven more Kentucky players joined him with double-digit scoring performances: Otega Oweh (18 points), Ansley Almonor (15), Koby Brea (13), Amari Williams (12), Trent Noah (12), Lamont Butler (11) and Andrew Carr (10).

The lethal nature of UK’s high-octane attack evinced itself during multiple stretches of Wednesday night’s contest.

Tied at 4-all less than three minutes in, the Wildcats proceeded to go on a 23-6 run in the next six-plus minutes. The hosts had two more runs of 10-0, or better, before the first half concluded, jogging into the locker room up 60-24.

As well as UK played offensively in the opening 20 minutes, they were even better in the final 20 — they put 63 more points on the board.

“Well, they were very unforgiving,” Kentucky Wesleyan coach Drew Cooper said. “Every mistake that we made, it was just (punished). It was one after the other after the other. … It didn’t seem to me like they capitalized on four out of five of (our errors). They capitalized on all five.”

Despite the nature of the victory — in terms of margin, it tied for the third largest in an exhibition in program history — Pope focused more on the process than the result.

“WE don’t spend a lot of time thinking about what this sheet is going to look like after the game. We spend a lot of time thinking about what we’re trying to do in the moment, right?” he said. “And so, I think, of course, there’s all the nerves, right?

“It’s our first time in this building, and this is Kentucky, and there’s massive expectations and all those things. But I’m really consumed with seeing how fast we can get better, and the way we get better is by just being dialed in on exactly what we’re doing.”

When Pope looked at the stat sheet, he couldn’t believe his eyes.

Butler had six steals. UK, as a whole, had five turnovers.

“I’ve never seen that, actually. That’s really incredible,” Pope said. “He’s a special player. I’ve never coached a guy like him on the defensive end, at the point of attack.”

The Panthers shot just 32.8% (21 for 64) from the field. And they missed 23 of their 27 shots from distance — a conversion rate of just 14.8%.

Much of Kentucky Wesleyan’s struggles stemmed, Pope said, from Butler’s defensive excellence.

“Drew chose to work a lot of 4-5 ball screens, because it’s kind of like you have this Deion Sanders corner (where) you’re like, ‘We’re not throwing to that side of the field anymore. Forget it. We’re just not going over there,'” Pope said. “And that’s the type of impact that Lamont can have. He’s incredibly special. I think you guys heard me say it a hundred times: I think he’s the best defensive perimeter player in college basketball — certainly the best defensive point guard.”

Kentucky’s roster is filled to the gills with upperclassmen. Of the nine transfers the Wildcats added this offseason, there are seven seniors and a junior.

Yet UK also had a three-man signing class: Noah, Collin Chandler and Travis Perry.

Noah had the best game, statistically speaking. He came off the bench and nailed four of his five 3-point attempts — all four makes occurring within the final 5 ½ minutes of the contest.

“Trent is not shy. It’s really great to have him on the floor,” Pope said. “And our guys love him. Everybody on the bench was losing their mind with Trent. I thought Kerr was gonna — I don’t know, I thought he was gonna start ripping his clothes off he was so excited.”

Noah, who starred at Harlan County High and left as one of the leading scorers in state history, said showcasing his talents in Rupp, wearing the Wildcats’ iconic blue-and-white uniforms, was “a dream come true” for a Kentucky kid.

“It was a fun night, and I feel like everybody contributed, and everybody played well,” said Noah, who also had two assists and a rebound. “So whenever it’s like that, it’s all good.”

Pope didn’t want people to forget Chandler (six points, four assists) or Perry (five points, five rebounds, three assists), either.

“I think Travis Perry has been really extraordinary. Like, it’s hard to be a point guard for me. Like, it’s really hard to be a point guard for me. I don’t know if that’s exactly his natural position, but he’s coming here … playing 15 minutes at the point guard spot (tonight),” Pope said, before shifting gears to discuss Chandler. “I think he took a really big step forward. He’s gonna be a really special player.”

In Pope’s eyes, that’s not even the best part about the trio.

“We’re really blessed that we can have three freshmen that could play every minute of the game. … They’re gonna have a big impact on us this year and next year,” he said. “It makes you feel good to have those three guys here and know that they’re gonna continue with this program.”

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