Otega Oweh will play his final game at Rupp Arena on Saturday when the Wildcats take on No. 5 Florida to close out the regular season.
The senior guard has enjoyed a stellar two-year career with the Wildcats and has scored in double figures in 29 of 30 games this season. Oweh has tallied twin digits in 62 of 66 games in his career and was tabbed as the Southeastern Conference preseason Player of the Year and has lived up to the hype in conference games this season.
Kentucky coach Mark Pope said Oweh has continued to improve, despite Kentucky’s struggles at times, and said his “growth has been remarkable.”
“Sometimes you think about the consistency, some of the markers that show his consistency, but within that, you've just seen this incredible growth, because his role has changed so dramatically, and so to stay as consistent as he's been with such a dramatically changing role is really incredible,” Pope said.
The Kentucky coach added Oweh has “a competitor's heart that spills over” on and off the court.
“He's one of the kindest, most well-spoken guys we've had play here,” Pope said. “He just is a special human being, and he's had an epic run that we're excited to finish off in a great way.”
Denzel Aberdeen, who won a national title as a junior at Florida and will be honored in the senior sendoff Saturday, said playing alongside Oweh has been “amazing.”
“He goes, he gives 110 percent for each and every day in practice,” Aberdeen said. “He's got numerous (20-point games), he's just a walking bucket, and he's just coming here and doing what he can for this team to get wins — he's a competitor. He's going to thrive for the rest of the year, and wherever God takes him, he's going to thrive as well.”
Along with Oweh, walk-ons Walker Horn and Zach Tow will be honored prior to tipoff of Saturday’s contest against the Gators. A former player, Pope said Senior Day at Rupp Arena is a “special time.”
“It's the last time you get to play in Rupp,” Pope said. “That's something, because there’s no arena like it. There's no fanbase like it. As a last time it's startling. I think it comes so much faster than you could ever anticipate. We like to soak it in. We’d like to play great. We'd like to play great for us, for our team, for our season, and for our seniors.”
MORENO HONORED
Freshman forward Malachi Moreno was named to the Southeastern Conference Community Service team on Thursday.
Despite a busy schedule, Moreno has made time for his community, partnering with organizations such as the Ronald McDonald House, UK Children’s Hospital, Lexington Rescue Mission and the Woodhill Community Center for a multitude of service-oriented activities, including hospital visits, basketball clinics, donor interaction, and other activities.
He was also a part of the team’s service efforts in London, Ky., this past summer, where he assisted with tornado relief and cleanup while also hosting a free youth basketball camp.
Gametracker: Florida at Kentucky, 3 p.m.CT Saturday. TV/Radio: ESPN, UK Radio Network on 94.7 The Mix.
