New year, new Kentucky? The Wildcats enter 2025 and the start of SEC play with big-time goals on and off the floor. Like every New Year’s Eve and the games surrounding the holiday, the players were asked about their resolutions both as a team and as individuals with a wide range of answers in both categories. Some were almost entirely focused on what they bring to the table as hoopers while others kept things strictly away from basketball, all sticking to the theme of self-improvement.

How are they looking to better themselves as people and players as we put 2024 in the rearview mirror and turn our attention toward 2025? Here are the Wildcats’ answers.

Amari Williams – Embrace physicality

Williams hadn’t nailed down a personal off-court resolution of his immediately following Kentucky’s win over Brown, but he does know what he wants to prove as a player once SEC play begins this weekend to open 2025.

“I have a few more hours to work on (a resolution), haven’t quite decided yet. I’ll figure it out,” he said. “… Being ready for the physicality, finishing over bigger bigs. I know there are a lot of guys out there, 250-plus (pounds), so it’s going to be a battle down there, for sure. I’m just trying to make sure I’m ready for that task and doing everything I can to be successful.”

Travis Perry – Get more in the Bible

Perry said many of the players are sharing similar faith-based resolutions in 2025, digging deeper into the Bible and teammates holding each other accountable with that.

“We kind of went through them the other day. I think the consensus — a lot of guys had a pretty similar one: get more in the Bible. Something to do with the Bible, whether it’s reading a verse a day, trying to get through the New Testament or the Old Testament in a year, something like that,” he said. “I feel like those were good resolutions. We’re a good group of guys, I think we’re gonna hold each other accountable for them, so those will be good for us. We try to stay away from the on-court ones — we mainly focus on the off-court ones.”

Lamont Butler – Get closer to God

Like Perry, Butler has a specific faith-driven goal in mind going into 2025 with his eyes set on reading the New Testament in the Bible from start to finish.

“My New Year’s resolution is to get closer to God. My plan is to read the New Testament this year and complete it by the end of the year,” he said. “I’m just wanting to dive deeper into my faith, that’s all. I think it’s going to help me throughout the year and throughout my life, getting closer to Him.”

Jaxson Robinson – Learn to cook

How about a curveball from Robinson? He wants to unleash his inner Gordon Ramsay and learn how to cook.

“I told Lamont, I think (Saturday or Sunday), I was gonna try to cook like once a week. I mean, we’ll see,” he said. “I cooked something (Sunday), but I know it’s not New Year’s yet — just starting early. I don’t know (what brought it on), I just want to be better at cooking.”

Andrew Carr – Save money and get better with finances

Newly-engaged and ready to take on life as a married man — Mark Pope actually had Carr’s fiancee join him during postgame interviews — the fifth-year senior is ready to get his finances in order with the next chapter of his life set to begin.

Oh, and he wants the Wildcats to play like the version of this team that is ‘really tough to beat,’ the one that flies around at 110 percent from the opening tip through the final horn.

“If you want to talk about a team resolution, just coming out and being able to play 110 percent all the time. When we’re flying around, we’re a really tough team to beat,” he said. “Personally, the whole team made sure everybody had their own New Year’s resolutions so we can keep everybody accountable in the locker room. Mine was just being better financially, making sure I’m doing everything off the court, putting things where they’re supposed to be and save some money. … Being able to kind of split up and be more specific with my finances, that’s what I’m going to try and do. I have some things I want to save for, so trying to lock in and be more specific with that, divvy up and make sure that I’m doing it the right way.”

Happy New Year, BBN!