Kentucky announces addition of Brandon Garrison, a "Key Piece"

This morning we got a surprise commitment in the form of Brandon Garrison, a 6’11” center from Oklahoma State. The 2023 McDonald’s All-American had been on the Cats’ radar for a few weeks, but many thought he would choose Arkansas, Oklahoma, or Texas. Instead, he will wear Kentucky Blue for potentially three seasons, a considerable win for Mark Pope and his new staff, namely Alvin Brooks III.

Kentucky wasted no time in making Garrison’s commitment official. The program just released a press release featuring quotes from Pope on the addition. As Pope points out, both he and Brooks got an up-close view of Garrison’s skills last season at Oklahoma State.

“Brandon’s a McDonald’s All-American and a FIBA U18 Americas gold medalist with Team USA who crushed me at BYU last year and crushed Coach [Alvin] Brooks at Baylor last year,” Pope said. “We’re unbelievably glad he’s on our team now. He’s an incredible person with a brilliant, joyful smile that BBN will fall in love with. We’re really excited about our front line and Brandon will be a key piece to it.”

#BBN, meet @brandonGarriso! pic.twitter.com/c67o1wA4Ns

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) April 30, 2024

Last season, Garrison averaged 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game, shooting a team-high 57.2% from the floor. He had a career-high 21 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 assists, and 1 block in Oklahoma State’s win over BYU. He put up similar numbers in a loss to Baylor, finishing with 20 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 2 assists. He will have three seasons of eligibility remaining, potentially providing stability to Kentucky’s frontcourt beyond Pope’s first season.

Garrison was a four-star recruit coming out of Del City (OK) High School, a top 50 prospect in the 2023 class. As mentioned he was a McDonald’s All-American and also the Gatorade and MaxPreps Player of the Year in Oklahoma. He originally committed to Oklahoma State over the likes of Arkansas, Kansas, LSU, and Texas.

Welcome to the fam, Brandon.

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