Mark Pope praises Otega Oweh's 'brilliant' decision-making in Kentucky debut

Junior guard Otega Oweh is often lost in the conversation when talking about Mark Pope‘s first Kentucky team. He’s not one of the many fifth-year veterans or talented young freshmen who control most of the talking points. But he quickly reminded everyone Wednesday night why Pope recruited him to Lexington in the first place.

In Kentucky’s first of two exhibition games, the Wildcats smacked Kentucky Wesleyan 123-52 in Rupp Arena. Oweh, who started in the backcourt alongside Lamont Butler, quietly had one of the best performances of anyone who took the floor. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound bowling ball wreaked havoc on the Panthers. In just 18 minutes of action, Oweh finished with 18 points (7-9 FG; 2-2 3PT), five rebounds, three assists, and one steal.

On offense, he was patient when waiting for his moment to strike. Oweh plays mostly off the ball, so cutting and driving through his defenders is where he thrives. But he also knocked in both three-point attempts, ran fastbreaks, attacked the glass, and made an impact on defense.

He even showed some playmaking chops in transition.

Oklahoma transfer Otega Oweh was extremely impressive in Kentucky’s 123-52 exhibition win over Kentucky Wesleyan:

18 minutes
18 points
5 rebounds
3 assists
7-9 FG
2-2 3FG

The junior guard will be a major piece for the Wildcats this season 📈 pic.twitter.com/28XBLBBF5x

— Rising Ballers Network (@dylan_lutey) October 24, 2024

Essentially, he did a little bit of everything for Pope, who was impressed with what he saw out of the former Oklahoma transfer.

“I was so proud of Otega tonight,” Pope said postgame. “You know, I actually wondered if this was going to be a little bit of a complicated game for him. Because it is such a heavy gap team. His decision-making about when he attacked all the way to the rim and when he came to two feet was brilliant. It was actually incredible all night long.

“And first time here, first time playing this way, first time playing with these guys. For his decision-making to be so good, I was really, really proud of him. Listen, he’s a big body. He’s got big broad shoulders and he is really powerful at the rim. He carves out space and he actually puts a shoulder in your chest when he turns your hips and creates some space for him to go finish and he is really explosive downhill. He’s always been that but what’s been really brilliant to watch is his decision-making about when he chooses to get there and when he chooses to be a two-foot guy, a two-hand guy. He was great tonight.”

Oweh showed off his bag against Kentucky Wesleyan. We knew about his size and ability to get to the rim from his time with the Sooners, but his passing and outside shooting should inspire even more optimism about his potential value to this season’s Kentucky team.

“My game is really to get downhill,” Oweh said after the win. “But I’m always ready to be open and, if you have an open shot, you take it.”

Oweh took a massive leap from his freshman to sophomore seasons at Oklahoma. Is he in store for another one as a junior at Kentucky?

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