This 6-foot-4 junior guard, who wears number 00 on his Kentucky jersey, is going to be fun to watch this season.
Otega Oweh (pronounced oh-TEG-uh OH-way) was one of many productive players in UK’s season-opening 103-62 win over Wright State Monday night at Rupp Arena. A transfer from Oklahoma where he made 28 starts in 32 games last year, averaging 11.4 points, Oweh hit eight of nine baskets for a game-high 21 points, including a career-high 3 three-pointers. He also had three steals.
Against Wright State, which is expected to finish in the middle pack of the Horizon League, Oweh played more minutes (27) than any other Wildcat while playing tough defense.
“Tonight he was incredible defensively,” said Kentucky coach Mark People in his postgame press conference. “He shot the ball really well, and he was great downhill and pretty good in every facet of the game. He was really electric and extraordinary on the defensive end against a terrific and tough matchup most of the night.”
When Oweh, a four-star prospect from Newark, N.J., signed with Kentucky in late April, Pope liked his long-range shooting as well as his physicality and intensity. At the time, Pope also said “his tenacity on the court is contagious and his humility off the court is going to endear himself to Big Blue Nation.”
On his team’s first official victory of the season after a couple of exhibition blowout wins, Oweh said, “It feels great. We have been working so hard for this and to go out there and play for the BBN is huge. We want to show off for the school. The atmosphere was crazy, like the pregame was a little different. You heard booms and stuff like that, so it just feels different for sure.”
Jamie H. Vaught, a longtime sports columnist in Kentucky, is the author of six books about UK basketball, including recently-published “Forever Crazy About The Cats: An Improbable Journey of a Kentucky Sportswriter Overcoming Adversity.” Now a retired college professor who taught at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College in Middlesboro., he is the editor and founder of KySportsStyle.com Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter @KySportsStyle or reach him via email at KySportsStyle@gmail.com.Kentucky 7-foot center Amari Williams, who had a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds, praised Oweh’s defensive work as the Wildcats used their defense to create offensive opportunities.
Commented Williams, a graduate transfer who played four years at Drexel, “You’ve seen it the last couple (of exhibition) games with Lamont (Butler) and tonight was Otega (Oweh). He got a couple great steals and one that was going on the run so just seeing him shut it down changed the game on the inside. It’s great that we have players like that that can do it.”
Pope, who saw his team notch 11 steals, said, “Defense creating offense is really important for us.”
UK, which had six players scoring in double figures, had an assist on 30 of its 39 field goals, an assist rate of 76.9 percent, following a 70.2 assist rate in the two exhibition games.
On team’s unselfishness, Williams said, “That’s the whole point of this offense, being unselfish. We have great shooters. Every time a great shooter has an open shot and passes it to another shooter, knowing that no one has that ego and makes unselfish plays, it is great. It helps our teamwork.”
Asked about Oweh’s improved decision-making, Pope said, “It’s interesting. As a player, there’s always this process about limiting your game just a little bit, just slightly, so that your game can expand massively. That process takes a ton of trust. Coach (Mark) Fox has done an unbelievable job mentoring Otega. He spends a lot of time with Otega and Otega has done an unbelievable job trusting and being receptive. He’s simplified his game just a little bit in just a couple very specific areas and he’s become a brilliant decision-maker.”
Kentucky returns to action Saturday afternoon when the Cats host Bucknell at Rupp Arena. The 4 p.m. ET game will be televised on SEC Network+.
