Otega Oweh is taking advantage of being surrounded by shooters

It’s only been two preseason games, but junior guard Otega Oweh has been a pleasant surprise for Kentucky. Head coach Mark Pope inserted Oweh into the starting lineup and he immediately made an impact in both. Oweh averaged 17.5 points, 4.5 assists, four rebounds, and two steals across the exhibitions on 14-17 overall shooting.

Built like a tank at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Oweh is executing on both ends of the floor in the exact way that Pope had envisioned. Remember, Pope saw that impact in person last season when his BYU team faced Oweh’s Oklahoma team in February. Oweh and the Sooners got the best of Pope and the Cougars, winning 82-66 behind seven points, three assists, two rebounds, and two steals in 21 minutes from Oweh.

“He’s been terrific,” Pope said on Thursday. “I think he’s a big-time player. I got to play against him last year. I got to see him up close, not just in the game, but also doing pretty extensive scouting. He is everything that he’s been advertised to be. He’s incredibly physical. He’s an elite-level defensive player that can cause real problems. He’s unbelievable to the rim. He’s got a terrific motor. He can really do some damage on the glass. He’s going to be a really important piece for us.”

TOUGH finish, @OtegaOweh 😤 pic.twitter.com/7nCuj0OBnj

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) October 29, 2024

Fair or not, Oweh has often been forgotten about when talking about this Kentucky team throughout the offseason. He’s not one of the several fourth- or fifth-year veterans who transferred to UK. He’s not one of the three freshmen with ties to either Pope or the Bluegrass. He’s not a former McDonald’s All-American like sophomore center Brandon Garrison. He’s not known as a high-percentage three-point shooter in a system that requires plenty of them.

In that sense, there weren’t really any expectations set on Oweh’s shoulders going into the season. But he might just be a perfect fit. At all times, he’s surrounded by at least three capable outside shooters. Opposing defenses know Pope’s offense starts on the perimeter. When defenders’ eyes focus on the Kentucky shooters, Oweh zags by attacking the paint.

As pointed out during Pope’s press conference by Ryan Black of the Courier-Journal, Oweh started both exhibitions ultra-aggressive. Oweh scored seven of Kentucky’s first nine points in the preseason opener and then scored the first seven points the next time out. That isn’t some master plan by Pope to get him going quickly either — it’s Oweh simply recognizing that he has the space to attack.

“What he’s done is he’s taking the opportunities that are available, and said, ‘Let’s go. I’m gonna be really downhill, and I’m gonna be really forceful.’ I think his physicality at the rim is special, and it’s also partly due to his teammates,” Pope said. “When you prep to play us, you have got to guard the three-point line. So I think what’s been fun for Otega is he’s racing down to the rim. He’s like, where is everybody, right?

“I think he’s had that experience though. He’s like, normally I run into a second and third defender. He’s being smart enough about where he attacks and aggressive enough that he’s ended up at the rim with half a body to finish over. And he’s actually pretty good at that. I love the fact that he’s coming in really aggressive and hopefully that’ll continue.”

When a team is attempting 35-plus three-pointers like Kentucky did through two exhibitions (39.5 per game, in fact), it opens up the lane even more for slashing guards. Granted, Oweh is mowing over lower-level opponents, but those opportunities will still be there against the good teams. He just has to keep taking advantage and finishing strong.

Watch the latest Mark Pope press conference on the KSR YouTube Channel.