Otega Oweh shares how he wants Kentucky fans to know him

Otega ‘Tega-Tron’ Oweh‘s philosophy on the game of basketball centers around these key concepts: believing, keeping faith and never giving up.

His nickname, given to him during his stay at Peach Jam after his junior year of high school, signifies that he can transform into any player Mark Pope needs him to be for Kentucky this season. Whether it’s shooting, defending, setting up his teammates off the ball — Oweh is confident that he can do it all.

Still, Big Blue Nation are largetly unfamiliar with Oweh’s game. To break the ice, Oweh opened up and explained that his focus this year is on being a good teammate rather than being an individual player.

“I’m a chill guy,” Oweh explained. “I’m going to go out there, always give my all. [But] guys can come up and just ask me anything, talk to me, I’m very chill person. But in terms of basketball, me, I’ll just go out there get my play the best I can and be a dog.”

During his final season in Norman in 2023, Oweh made 32 appearances and 28 starts. He averaged 11.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game while shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from beyond the arc. In Oklahoma’s season-ending loss to TCU in the Big 12 Tournament, Oweh tallied a team-high 16 points.

It wasn’t the only time Oweh showed off his potential during the 2023-24 season. In the Sooners’ 81-69 loss to North Carolina in December, Oweh erupted for a season-high 23 points while shooting 6-10 from the floor and 10-11 from the charity stripe. Mark Pope and company signed him with the expectation that he can rise to the occasion in similar blue-blood scenarios.

Last season was a big jump from his true freshman totals, where Oweh averaged 4.8 points and 2.1 rebounds per contest.

Now, he joins a backcourt at Kentucky that is comprised of experienced college veterans. Point guard Lamont Butler — a Final Four hero for San Diego State in 2023 — fifth-year sharpshooter Kerr Kriisa, and former BYU leading scorer Jaxson Robinson will play alongside Oweh as Kentucky looks to move ahead in the Mark Pope era.

The roster also features shooters on the wing like Koby Brea, Ansley Almonor, along with Robinson at 6-foot-7 who can defend both guards and forwards. All three averaged double-digits for the respective schools last year.

Add a bevy of big men including three-time defensive player of the year Amari Williams (7-foot), Andrew Carr (6-foot-11) and Brandon Garrison (6-foot-10). It appears that Pope has many weapons at his disposal for his inaugural season, and will be interesting to see how Oweh fits into the mix.