Kentucky players share what they're thankful for this Thanksgiving

We know what the Kentucky men’s basketball team is doing on Thanksgiving, Mark Pope sharing that his Wildcats will be joining him and Lee Anne at their home in Lexington for a “festival rarely seen before.” It’ll be the Popes and players, obviously, but also all of the family and loved ones in town — “We’re having the whole crew to my house.”

The Popes will host and cook for their first Thanksgiving as president and first lady of Kentucky basketball, but guests will be encouraged to bring their own dishes for the ultimate potluck, as well.

“We have a bunch of moms that will come in and hopefully bring their greatest hits of Thanksgiving food in, as well as a bunch of stuff that we’ll have. But it’ll be a really fun night,” Pope said following Kentucky’s win over Western Kentucky on Tuesday, adding “I would invite (fans) over, but we just can’t fit any more people.”

We already know that Pope doesn’t wait for Thanksgiving to celebrate the season of appreciation and giving thanks — that’s what the post-practice gratitude circle is for, something he brought with him from BYU to Kentucky. It’s a staple and a way to regularly practice gratitude, which he believes is one of his “foundational principles” and a “100 percent truth” in life. He makes the players share what they’re thankful for on a daily basis, never taking a moment for granted.

What can they be grateful for this week, Thanksgiving week? The list is long, each player taking a different angle ranging from big to small.

For Otega Oweh, it’s a general appreciation for life and his ability to do what he loves at the highest level day in and day out. Not many get that opportunity, but he’s grateful that he does.

“It just means to be grateful,” the junior guard said of the meaning of Thanksgiving. “I mean, in all situations, there are a lot of things that may not go your way, but as long as you wake up every day being able to do the things you love, which for us is to play basketball, just be happy and grateful for another opportunity.”

How about Andrew Carr? He’s grateful for his time in Lexington and the opportunity to play at Kentucky, but more specifically, he’s excited that he gets to share it with his girlfriend soon. As a long-distance couple, time spent together around the holidays is extremely important to the graduate senior. He’ll get that chance in the near future after her brother gets married.

“Well, I’m super thankful for all of these guys and the community and the family feel that we’ve been able to create,” Carr told KSR. “But I’m also super thankful for my girlfriend — she just finished up her season in field hockey back at Delaware. Her brother’s got a wedding coming up soon, which will be awesome, but then she’ll be able to come out and visit and be able to spend some time here in Lexington.

“We’ve been long-distance for two and a half years, so I certainly miss her and can’t wait to see her, but I’m super thankful for her.”

Kerr Kriisa being Kerr Kriisa, he’s grateful for his very first free throws of the season in Kentucky’s win over WKU. As a perimeter-oriented player, he doesn’t get to the line too often, so he’s gotta make the most of his attempts when he gets them. He did just that by going 2-2 on Tuesday.

Oh, and family and friends. He’s thankful for all of that stuff, too.

“I’m thankful for my first free throw,” Kriisa joked. “No, I’m actually thankful for a lot of things — for my family, this family, BBN. There are a lot of things to be thankful for and moments you can’t take for granted.”

For Koby Brea, there is nothing more important than this season and being at Kentucky. He’s been able to share it with his family, who have made the trip to Lexington on multiple occasions in the early stages of the season. Then there is the new family he’s joined as a Wildcat with coaches and teammates.

To put it simply, he’s overwhelmed with gratitude being in this position for his final season of college basketball.

“There are so many things I can be thankful for, man,” Brea said. “Just the opportunity to be her, at the University of Kentucky, it’s something that I’ve always dreamt of. The opportunity to do this, in front of this fan base — my family has been able to come down a couple of times. I’m really thankful that they’ve been able to do that. I’m thankful for this team. This team has something special, I’ve never been a part of something quite like this, just a group of guys that are able to just be so unselfish.

“We’re all coming toward the end of our college career, and somehow we’re all just giving more to each other. It’s not about us. Everybody kind of has the same personality. Like, we’re all different, but we all have common goals and stuff like that. That’s a lot to be thankful for.”