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Former Kentucky Players Speak on John Calipari and Kentucky’s Woes

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© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Once the most popular man in the state Kentucky, John Calipari might have become the most divisive amongst the fanbase.

Over the last week, several former Wildcats have given their opinion players on DeMarcus Cousins, Rajon Rondo, and Antoine Walker spoke out on their opinion on the current situation at Kentucky.

Demarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo

Rondo joined Cousins on his podcast Bully Ball, where the two provided different opinions on John Calipari. Cousins, who played for Calipari’s first Kentucky team took up for his former coach. “How did we get to this place of we’re now disrespecting the guy that created the standard,” Cousins asked.

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“He’s brought more positivity to this university and to this fanbase than any negativity. No matter what university, no matter what legendary coach, they all went through a dry spell of losing tournaments, not really meeting the standard for that year. It happens with every program.”

Rondo, a Kentuckian who understands the prestige of the program before Calipari, responded with, “How many (champion)ships Cal got? It’s been over a decade. It’s about what have you done for me lately. Don’t disrespect the University of Kentucky, though. It’s been one of the greatest colleges of all time way before Cal got there.”

“I don’t understand how we get to the point where our next best option is to replace this coach,” Cousins said. “I never said replace him,” Rondo responded. Cousins says UK will take a big hit financially if Calipari were to be replaced. “Everything is going down.” Rondo disagreed, saying, “It’s UK. It is the brand. It’s Duke, North Carolina.”

Not wanting him fired, what is Rondo looking for Calipari to do?

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“All I’m saying is, he has to get the guys to buy in. These guys are looking at the damn draft boards every day. Mentally, it’s like, okay, I want to do what’s best for the team, but at the same time my agent is calling me, I got the NIL deal money coming in. So these are just different times that these kids are going through to buy in. …I don’t think they did that completely in understanding, okay, we need to focus on winning versus looking at the draft board. I think that starts with Cal and the staff getting them to buy into that system”

Antoine Walker

Former Wildcat Antoine Walker also spoke about John Calipari on The Zach Gelb Show, where he says he’s still all-in on Calipari.

“I’m definitely still all-in,” Walker said. “I just think we have to understand that the landscape has just changed. He’s one of the best at doing it and bringing in talent, and maximizing and making good runs. But, It’s going to be tough, because you got to play older teams with the transfer portal, and things like that. It’s gonna be tough to win it all, but I’m still all-in on Cal.”

Walker says NIL can help Kentucky a lot to to correct course. “I think so because of the NIL, because guys are now having an opportunity to make money playing. You may be able to get guys to stay two or three years now. It won’t be such an urgency to go to the NBA.”

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A large number of players don’t want Calipari gone, but they understand, just as the fanbase does, that he needs to self evaluate and making changes accordingly to adapt to the current landscape of college basketball.

Men's Basketball

Otega Oweh Declares for NBA Draft, Maintains College Eligibility

Arguably the centerpiece of last year’s team, Otega Oweh has declared for the NBA Draft… but that doesn’t mean he’s officially gone.

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Otega Oweh declares for the NBA Draft whilst maintaining his college eligibility.
Chet White | UK Athletics

Few players have taken the Big Blue Nation by storm like Otega Oweh did with his arrival this past season. A lot was new in Lexington last year, but #00 stuck out for a number of reasons; namely, his infectious energy on the court and the high odds that he was going to put an opponent on a poster on any given night.

Now, Oweh has declared for the NBA Draft. He made the announcement on social media, calling Kentucky fans the “best fans in the world.”

While this may seem dire for folks keeping tabs on next year’s roster, that last line in Oweh’s announcement is crucial: “…while maintaining my NCAA eligibility.” Essentially, Otega’s time in Lexington is far from over, at least for the time being.

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Whether or not “Tegatron” returns to Rupp will likely depend on what he hears during the draft process, and where exactly he wants to land. In the modern college basketball landscape, it’s become common practice for players to “test the waters” in the draft, just to get an idea as to where they stand with the league, before returning to college for another year of development.

Take, for example, Jaxson Robinson just last season. Before his eventual transfer to Kentucky, Robinson declared for the draft out of BYU, maintaining his eligibility, before pulling from the process in order to spend his senior year at Kentucky. It happens all the time.

While that doesn’t necessarily set Oweh’s return in stone, it at least gives the Big Blue Nation to take a breather and keep calm, as his departure is far from official. Either way, #00 is a Lexington legend whose first go-around in Kentucky blue was as memorable as anyone’s could be. The “Oweh, Oweh, Oweh” chants will go on regardless.

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Four Star Forward Visiting Kentucky Amidst Recruitment Rumors

Mark Pope is looking to close out a strong sophomore effort in the transfer portal, and this freshman guard may be the final piece.

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Four star guard Braydon Hawthorne is on a visit to Kentucky.
Braydon Hawthorne | WVU Athletics

As the transfer portal trucks on (and the NCAA races to find ways to regulate it), Mark Pope is looking to tie a bow on his already highly-ranked 2025-26′ roster. The latest potential addition becomes in the form of a freshman who, after pulling his commitment from West Virginia, will be on an official visit to Kentucky today, Wednesday, April 16.

Braydon Hawthorne, the 6’8″ forward at hand, is a lengthy, scoring wing with high upside on the offensive end. His 7’3″ wingspan opens opportunities for development on the defensive end, too – he’s an investment opportunity of the highest order. On3 currently has him at 48th on their ranking of 2025 recruits.

In addition to Kentucky and West Virginia (where Hawthorne is from), schools such as Virginia Tech, Arizona State, Marquette, Dayton, Old Dominion, Mount St. Mary’s, and more have thrown their hats into the ring, although the general consensus seems to be that Kentucky has the strongest pull/interest in the prospect for the time being.

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Whether or not that actually means he’ll be in blue and white is unfortunately unsure – as that’s how the transfer portal operates – but an in-person visit is a good indicator of mutual interest. Plus, with Kentucky “losing out” on Lamar Wilkerson, who committed to Indiana, a scoring spot in the back court remains open… and Hawthorne is a compelling candidate to fill it.

While Wildcats fans wait patiently for a potential commitment, all eyes are on Coach Cody Fueger’s X account for a trademark “boom” post.

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Men's Basketball

Brandon Garrison Announces Return To Kentucky For The 2025-26 Season

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Chet White | UK Athletics

Brandon Garrison isn’t going anywhere. 

The 6-foot-10 forward will be returning to the Kentucky Wildcats for his junior season in the 2025-26 campaign. 

Garrison took to social media first, posting a story on his personal Instagram that showed a simple graphic reading the words “I’m back.”

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Speculation and rumors have swirled around the Oklahoma native all offseason, and with the addition of Andrija Jelavic, Big Blue Nation worried that Garrison would be hitting the portal sooner than later. 

Now, with his returning announcement public, Garrison will look to assert himself in the offseason as a dominant force that deserves the starting role.

Last season, he backed up Amari Williams, coming off of the bench and averaging 5.9 points per game and 3.9 rebounds per game in just 17.3 minutes a night. 

It’s unclear if he’s guaranteed anything in regards to a starting spot. However, having played a year already in Mark Pope’s system, Garrison may get a nod for the role over one of the transfer pickups. 

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Pope and the coaching staff have been publicly confident in the development of “BG” and see him as a vocal leader on and off the court. 

With a full offseason ahead where he’ll be harnessing his skill set and bettering his game in any way possible, Kentucky fans will be glad that Garrison chose to stick around another year. 

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