Kentucky coach Mark Pope reveals emotional reaction to Otega Oweh return
Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball guard Otega Oweh could have stayed in the NBA Draft and played professionally next season. Instead, he's headed back to Lexington with All-American expectations, and no one was more excited about it than his head coach.
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Oweh put Kentucky coach Mark Pope on the spot on Sunday, putting a mic and camera in front of his face and asking for his reaction when Oweh called to give him the good news.
'I was on a plane, and I don't understand why or how, but the call actually came through,' Pope began. 'Otega called me and said, 'Coach, let's do this. I'm coming back. I was looking around. I think the pilot was about to throw me out of the plane, so I was like, 'OTEGA! I got to call you back later! But just hold that thought!''
When Pope was back on the ground and managed to call Oweh back, he said, tears streamed down his face.
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'I knew a couple of things,' Pope continued. 'One, I know how excited you are and how much you want to go play in that league. I know it's the dream of a lifetime.'
'It's super humbling to see you do two things,' he added. 'One, how much you want to get better, and how committed you are to getting better. And secondly, to see how much you understand and appreciate what you have right now. That's special stuff. Now we're getting back to work.'
'There's no place I'd rather be,' Oweh replied.
Oweh spent the first two years of his basketball career at Oklahoma before transferring to Kentucky for 2024-25. In his first season in Lexington, he averaged 16.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, shooting right around 50 percent from the field.
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The second-team All-SEC selection helped guide the Wildcats to a 24-12 record and the program's first Sweet 16 appearance since 2019.
Related: Flau'jae Johnson, Olivia Miles headline stacked USA Basketball roster
Related: Duke basketball included in 1st-ever Dick Vitale Invitational vs. Texas
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