WATCH: Brandon Garrison shares glimpse into offseason workouts
By next weekend, the entire Kentucky Basketball team should be back on campus for summer classes and workouts. One of the Wildcats expected to make a big jump next season is Brandon Garrison. The big man told KSR back in April that he’s excited to continue the two-year plan Pope drew up for him when he recruited him last year. Thanks to social media, we recently got a glimpse at the work Garrison is putting in ahead of his return to Lexington.
Garrison, an avid TikToker, shared a minute-and-a-half-long clip of his offseason workouts back home in Oklahoma. In it, you can see the 6’10” 250 lbs. forward working on his shot in the gym and working up a sweat in the weight room to the soundtrack of Kyrie Irving talking about his dedication to the sport. While watching, it’s hard not to think of what Pope said about Garrison during his interview on KSR last week, that the big man is determined to step up in his second year at Kentucky.
“Brandon Garrison showed me some signs in the last month, and certainly this summer, where he is just — like he is growing up, man. It’s so cool to see, it’s the best thing to see as a coach. He’s talking about what he wants to be. It’s no longer kind of what he is and who he is and how he acts, but it’s what he wants to become.”
As a sophomore, Garrison averaged 5.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, playing behind Amari Williams. Now that Williams has graduated, Pope said that Garrison is looking forward to taking over the role of mentor to the newest members of Kentucky’s frontcourt, Jayden Quaintance, Andrija Jelavic, Malachi Moreno, and Reece Potter.
“He’s done this publicly where he’s talked about Amari (Williams), that BG was blessed to have this big brother, Amari, that kind of mentored him and took care of him. He kind of wants to be that guy, and it’s a change.”
Pope said Kentucky’s success next season could be contingent on Garrison making that jump on and off the court.
“When you start to have guys talk about what they would like to become, then you’re like, ‘Oh, we got something here.’ He’s definitely there, man,” Pope told KSR. “We need him to be great next year. It’s going to be really important because he’s one of the few guys who are coming back with a ton of experience. He’s going to teach everybody on the roster.”
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Time will tell, but Garrison’s offseason work looks like a good start to that journey. In April, he told KSR he’s looking forward to further expanding his game next season. Last year, he shot 30% from three-point range (12-40), but during SEC play, that figure improved to 36% (9-25).
“I’ve always been able to shoot, but I feel like Coach Pope helped me gain the confidence, and just getting reps up in practice, after practice, stuff like that. But he told me, as long as I shoot, I gotta hold my follow through, and if it goes in or not, he’s not tripping on it.”
“He likes to get up a lot of threes, so he allows the 1 through 5 to shoot, but he says as long as you own your shot, he’ll let you shoot it and have the free will to shoot the three.”
Count me among the many excited for Junior Brandon Garrison. Speaking of, if you or your kids are Club Blue Kids members, you can have ice cream with him on Sunday, June 8.
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