4-Point Play: Leftovers with Kerr Kriisa, Amari Williams and Travis Perry

All eyes are on La Familia vs. The Ville late Monday evening at Freedom Hall, but things are still hectic back in Lexington as Kentucky rolls through the summer practice schedule. Entering week seven of eight total weeks with four hours per week allowed by the NCAA, the Cats are learning how to navigate life on campus while also meeting with media for the first time.

Otega Oweh, Andrew Carr, Ansley Almonor, Collin Chandler, Brandon Garrison and Lamont Butler got things started with the first run of interviews, followed by Kerr Kriisa, Travis Perry and Amari Williams — those took place late last week. Up next? Koby Brea, Jaxson Robinson and Trent Noah to wrap up the entire 12-man roster on Tuesday.

Until then, how about a few leftovers as we wait for the opening tip here in Louisville?

A shot-heavy system the players enjoy

Mark Pope has looked to establish a clear offensive identity from day one. Kentucky will push the pace and launch threes in transition while prioritizing off-ball player movement to create scoring opportunities in the halfcourt. Team chemistry is vital to ensure the pieces fit, playing off one another to determine if it will run as a well-oiled machine or sputter.

The early returns? So far, so good.

“I would say how quickly we’ve bonded, that’s one for sure,” Drexel transfer Amari Williams said of what has surprised him in early summer workouts. “Through week six, I feel like we’re closer than anywhere else would be. They say we’ve got a group of older guys, but we’ve got some younger guys, too. The younger guys, you just wouldn’t be able to tell who the younger guys are in practice — we all mold together, understand each other and move the ball.”

That’s music to Pope’s ears because when executed, his system is a thing of beauty. It’s a player-friendly operation that allows everyone to get their fair share of opportunities.

And those opportunities are coming through six weeks of practice.

“You’re not in a square. You make your own reads with your teammates, depending on how the defense plays,” West Virginia transfer Kerr Kriisa said. “You don’t have a coach screaming at you on the sidelines saying, ‘Run horns down, horns up.’ Everything is reads. We’re trying to shoot the ball, we’re really trying to shoot the ball. Guys are putting in the work, extra hours in the gym shooting threes because it’s going to be a big part of our game. It’s super fun, especially when you like shooting threes.

“I don’t know how our bigs are holding up — Amari (Williams) has got to do a lot of rebounding work — but it’s fun.”

Amari Williams finally gets to show off physicality

A three-time conference defensive player of the year, Williams produced plenty during his time at Drexel. Averaging 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.8 blocks per contest in 2023-24, he just wrapped up a First-Team All-CAA campaign before challenging himself with a move to Kentucky for his final season of eligibility.

Here, he hopes to show how much more physical he can be than what he was able to show playing in the Coastal Athletic Association. Williams was good, but he thinks he can be even better without being called for ticky-tack fouls every time down the floor, battling against bigger, tougher competition in the SEC.

“That’s a tough question to ask. In recent years, I wasn’t able to show my physicality because — I don’t want to say the league was different, but it was different,” Williams said. “You back down a big twice and they’re going to start calling charges. That’s something teams did a lot to me in the past in the CAA. Going to the SEC, they say they don’t really have those kinds of calls, so hopefully I’ll be able to be a lot more physical than I was in previous years.”

And he’s not the only one. This may not be a bruising team big-picture, but they’ve got some bruisers to show up when necessary.

“We’re all physical, I feel like. Even the guards. We do a lot of dribbling from the perimeter,” he said. “Otega (Oweh) is physical, BG (Brandon Garrison) is physical, guys like that. I feel like we’re underrated physically, that’s something we’re doing day by day. Especially with having (strength and conditioning coach) Randy (Towner) down there in the weight room — he doesn’t take it lightly on us. That’s going to help us.”

Two constants for the seven-foot center

Pope prioritized Williams immediately after taking the Kentucky job, his first commitment out of the portal. What made him such a prized get for the Wildcats? He’s got two elite skills that translate at any level, two things you can count on every time he steps on the floor in blue and white.

“I would say defense and passing. Those are the two things I kinda prided myself on the past four years,” Williams said. “Roles are always changing on teams — like, I know my role is going to change on the team this year from what it was last year — but those two things are constants.

“Those are things I can always do at a high level on any team.”

The Kentucky head coach singled out Williams as a high-level passer during his opening press conference with the media this summer, something that immediately jumped out on film and came with him to Lexington. That hasn’t gone anywhere as summer workouts slowly come to a close.

Getting away from dad as a coach

Travis Perry is in a unique spot as a player. His coach since he was a kid and the guy he helped win a state championship with as a senior at Lyon County was his dad, Ryan Perry. He’s been by his side since day one.

Is it weird leaving home for Lexington, now coached by Mark Pope and his Kentucky staff?

“A little bit. Yeah, it might be a little bit different. Whether it’s a good practice, bad practice, whatever it is, this time you’re going home by yourself and you’re going into your room,” Perry said. “You don’t have to worry about it carrying over. But then also, you kind of miss it a little bit. You wonder what he would be saying after that day.

“It’s fun, it’s a good change. It’s fun to play for your dad as long as you can, but then it’s also good when you get to this level to work under a guy who doesn’t have to worry about going home with you. He takes it a little bit easier.”

The good news? There are some similarities there in terms of style of play, Lyon County also prioritizing pace and shot volume. In fact, he thinks his dad may be jealous of the number of threes they take — right up his alley.

“There are a few (similarities). A lot of stuff Coach Pope talks about on the confidence side of it,” Perry said. “He was always big on that, not just with me, but with everybody on our team. He trusted you to take a shot if you’re in the game, he knows that you can make any shot that’s out there. That’s a big part of it, the confidence side.

“And also just playing fast, we love to play fast. Coach Pope has talked about taking 35 threes a game, and that’s something that sounds awesome. I’m sure my dad would love to do that at the high school level. That’s one of the things I think relates really well.”

Let’s hope Perry produces in Lexington the same way he did at Lyon County.