Kentucky coach Mark Pope isn’t worried about settling on a consistent rotation.
In a 103-62 win over Wright State Monday night, 10 players played 12 minutes or more, and four of five starters finished in double figures. Starter Otega Oweh paved five players in double figures with 21 points, while Koby Brea came off the bench and tallied 18. Brea and Oweh were perfect from the 3-point line and made seven of the team’s 11 shots from behind the arc.
Ideally, Pope would like to keep the double-trouble rotation intact moving forward and likes the overall makeup of his first Kentucky team.
“I would be really blessed to keep those 10 guys healthy,” Pope said. “If we can stay healthy, I would like to just keep coming in waves. As much as we can. There are times when the game is not going to allow that, but I would like to keep coming in waves.”
Pope admitted upcoming contests will likely dictate the rotation, but added his roster from top to bottom is versatile, another bonus for the Wildcats.
“Our guys, they all fit the way we play but we really have 12 guys with very unique skill sets,” Pope said, “Every time someone new rolls onto the court it’s like ‘oh, we’ve got a new little toolkit we can work with.’
"As a coach, it’s such a blessing and allows us to be really creative. The game normally makes you constrict to eight or nine (players in a rotation). Sometimes seven or eight. I would like to live in this 10 space as long as the game will let us.”
Through two exhibition games and one regular-season contest, the Wildcats have developed a reputation for being unselfish. Kentucky had 30 assists on 39 made baskets in the opener, with Lamont Butler, Brandon Garrison and Kriisa dishing out five assists each. Overall, eight players had two or more assists.
“That’s the whole point of this offense, being unselfish,” Williams said. “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.”
That teamwork extends beyond the backcourt.
“Our big guys are like our second point guards,” Brea said. “Everyone has seen Amari do it and now y’all get to see [Garrison] doing it too. I am glad that they get to showcase what they are going to do.”
Williams, Pope said, has been undergoing a process of limiting his game to help expand his overall game. Kentucky assistant coach Mark Fox has been instrumental in helping Williams with his improvement.
“(Coach Fox) spends a lot of time with Otega and Otega has done an unbelievable job trusting and being receptive,” Pope said. “He’s simplified his game just a little bit in just a couple very specific areas and he’s become a brilliant decision-maker.”
Gametracker: Bucknell at Kentucky, 3 p.m., Saturday. TV/Radio: SEC Network+ and SuperTalk 94.3 WKYX, WiLLiE 102.
Coach Mark Pope enjoyed a sweet debut for Kentucky with a romp over Wright State on Monday. (Kentucky Today/Keith Taylor)
