Mark Pope breaks down his entire 10-man Kentucky roster: "We're really excited"

What do you need to know about Kentucky’s roster through the eyes of Mark Pope, the man who built the 10-man group from scratch in a matter of weeks? He joined Alan Cutler on ESPN Sports Radio 1300AM/92.5FM early Friday afternoon to break them all down, one by one — among other tales from college and memories with Rick Pitino.

Pope shared his raw reaction as Cutler threw the pieces his way — a miscommunication initially on the game, but they got the hang of things pretty quickly.

His biggest takeaway, though? “We’re really excited about this roster, man, as you can probably tell.”

Lamont Butler Jr.

“Winner.”

Andrew Carr

“Andrew Carr is born to play for me. The first time we talked on the phone, we just — it’s almost like we live in a shared experience. I feel like I really know him and I feel like he really knows me. His game fits exactly how this game is being pushed, the edges of this game. You’re always looking for the edges of the game where the game is evolving and he fits exactly what we’re trying to do in terms of his experience, in terms of his skillset, in terms of his mentality.”

Koby Brea

“The most efficient offensive player in the last decade. There’s only one dude in the last 10 years that you can say that about.”

Brandon Garrison

“I mean, this dude is gonna be a pro. He is. He is. His upside is so massive. He’s gonna be really special.”

Travis Perry

“My favorite moment with Travis Perry is Jason Hart, who played the point guard position in the league for 10 years, right? He walked in the office one morning, we’re kind of going all day and all night, and he says, ‘I’ll tell you what, I watched this Travis Perry last night on film. That dude can play.’ That sticks in my mind.”

Collin Chandler

“Woo! Two inches taller! Two years away from the game, two inches taller! He’s got a chance to be incredibly special.”

Trent Noah

“I think he’s got a chance to be the heart and soul of this team over the next several years. He’s going to raise up at some point and he is going to win us massively huge games. It might take a while to get there, we don’t know. But he’s gonna win us some massively huge games. I’m telling you. I think about this kid, I think about the great Kentucky players that have come before and won huge games for us. I think he’s gonna be one of those guys.”

Kerr Kriisa

“All I can say is, Big Blue Nation, you are welcome. Enjoy. … I love this kid.”

Amari Williams

“This dude is like the bedrock of this whole team. Like, he’s a veteran veteran. He is an elite, elite, elite level rim protector and three-time (CAA) Defensive Player of the Year. One of the best kids you’re ever gonna meet, from Nottingham, England. He is — I’m telling you, he was the first guy. He was the first guy to jump on and kind of get this last two weeks rolling.”

Otega Oweh

“Kentucky fans are gonna love him. He just puts his whole guts and heart out there on the floor. He picked up 94 feet every single possession (at Oklahoma). And I’ve called him, what, 20 times probably over the last three weeks? I have never actually called him, never — even two nights ago, I call him at night, he was in the gym. FaceTime him? He’s in the gym. He is just so excited.”