Ad Disclosure
Mark Pope said Wednesday that while Otega Oweh is focusing on making his NBA dream a reality, he’s still holding plenty of affection for Kentucky.
In an interview with CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein on Wednesday, the Kentucky head basketball coach said he’s “scouring the planet” looking for “a couple more pieces” to round out Kentucky’s roster heading into the 2025-26 season. The Wildcats have 12 scholarship players for next year as things currently stand, a number that includes Oweh.
The 6-foot-5 guard transferred from Oklahoma to Kentucky prior to last season and enjoyed a career year, landing on the All-SEC Second Team after averaging 16.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. Oweh has 1 season of eligibility remaining, though he has put his name into the 2025 NBA Draft.
Pope offered an update on that process when he spoke with Rothstein.
“Otega is going through this draft process, and we’re cheering for him every step of the way — but I know a lot of his heart is back here at Kentucky,” Pope said. “If he does return, he will return as the presumptive SEC Player of the Year. Clearly, he’s got a beautiful future ahead of him.”
Oweh has until May 28 to pull his name out of the draft and officially return to Kentucky. Draft analyst Jonathan Givony’s latest Big Board for ESPN has Oweh ranked as the 77th-best prospect in the draft class.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
