Mark Pope details what stands out about Otega Oweh, gets coaxed into 'present' story

Kentucky guard Otega Oweh is quickly becoming a fan favorite among Big Blue Nation for his abilities on the court and fans are beginning to learn more about him when he’s not playing basketball.

After the Wildcats defeated Louisville on Saturday, UK head coach Mark Pope opened up about Oweh’s ability to stay present when he’s on the court. However, it led to Pope revealing a story that shed some light on who his leading scorer is off the court.

“One of the great things about [Oweh] is that he lives in the moment. I think he has an impressive ability to stay focused on the present without worrying much about the consequences of what might happen or what just occurred. He’s really good at being present—actually, he’s exceptional at it.”

This triggered a recent memory of Pope’s about Oweh and his attendance in class during his first semester at UK.

“We had such a fun moment. … Our team has made a renewed commitment to being engaged in class every day,” Pope continued. “Otega has an early morning class where he’s increasingly getting better at being present.”

Oweh may have attendance issues in this early morning class, Pope revealed. A continued effort to ensure his presence in class led to a humorous reaction from Oweh that helps epitomize what makes the Oklahoma transfer one of a kind.

“A couple of days ago, it was all hands on deck to make sure he was there,” Pope said. “Two minutes after class, we received a video from him of him sitting in an empty classroom because class was canceled, and we hadn’t known about it. He epitomizes being present.

“In fact, I’m going to try to convince him to share the video; I’m going to encourage him to post it. It’s truly delightful because he doesn’t really say anything; he simply goes, ‘Ah.’ So he is present—in class, on the court, and in the closing moments.”

Thankfully for Oweh, the University of Kentucky is on winter break and his early morning class is over. Looking ahead, the men’s basketball team has an entire week to prep for the CBS Sports Classic against Ohio State on Dec. 21.

Oweh will be a vital part of beating the Buckeyes inside Madison Square Garden. Kentucky hasn’t defeated Ohio State on the court since the 2010-11 season.