On the night of Friday, May 16, a disastrous tornado ripped through parts of the Commonwealth, affecting countless lives and causing widespread distress.

Kentuckians, like always, are now stepping up to the plate to help all that were impacted rebuild their livelihoods one step at a time.

Reed Sheppard went back to his hometown of London, Kentucky to provided support and aid in the cleanup process, pictured below.

He later shared a heartwarming message on his Instagram story.

“This is where I grew up. Where I learned what hard work, heart, and grit really mean,”Sheppard said. “We help each other. We rebuild,” he later added.

Both Mark Pope and Mark Stoops sent out thoughtful messages towards Big Blue Nation that same night.

The next day, Pope joined with a helping hand, pictured in London assisting with a fallen tree.

Various members of the men’s basketball team also took to social media to spread their prayers and condolences.

KY Insider joins Sheppard, Stoops, Pope and the team with prayers for every single community that was impacted.

Kentucky will bounce back.

For over 100 years, Kentucky basketball has upheld the highest standards of excellence.

This commitment, built in the heart of the Bluegrass and carried forward by 23 head coaches, has produced more than 2,300 victories and eight national championships, with the banners hanging high and proud in Rupp Arena.

Now, under Mark Pope, that tradition is experiencing a resurgence, and no one is prouder than he is.

“This is Kentucky basketball. We should be the best at everything,” Pope said, emphasizing his determination to maintaining the Wildcats as the gold standard of college basketball.

Pope is focused on assembling his ideal team through a culture rooted in passion and selflessness in the evolving landscape of college hoops he likes to call a “beautiful madness”.  

He’s not backing down either. He’s starving for competition, and so is his new squad.

“I’ve got hungry, hungry guys. I have guys that have really unique, distinguishable skillsets that fit us really well. I’m excited about this group. This is going to be a really special group,” he said.

Less than three months after the roller-coaster season ended, Big Blue Nation is fired up and ready to welcome nine fresh faces to Lexington, each with banner No. 9 in their sights.

Despite Pope’s inspiring words that could make anyone run through a brick wall, the Cats still face a long road before fans can start burning couches again.

With the gold standard that is Kentucky basketball comes the fiercest competition, and everyone is eager to cut the head off the beast.

“We want to play the hardest schedule. We want to win the most games. We want to have the best players, want to have the highest NIL. We want to have the coolest uniforms. We want to have the most media attention,” Pope explained to the media.

The culture in Lexington is back, but this time, it feels different.

There’s a renewed sense of purpose, a sharper edge and a deeper connection between the players, the program and BBN.

Pope hasn’t just brought energy back to Kentucky basketball, but he’s built something stronger in a culture rooted in playing for each other, for the name on the jersey and for a legacy that’s thriving once again.

In this new era, the gold standard isn’t just being the best at basketball, it’s being the best at everything in life.

Kentucky guard Otega Oweh recently declared himself as “all in” on preparing himself for the NBA. 

Oweh’s return to Kentucky is in limbo. Most fans expected Oweh to exercise his final year of eligibility to stay in Lexington, but the 21-year-old has his eyes set on the NBA.

“So, (Oweh) got a lot of room to grow, he’s a phenomenal player who had a great season last year, and it’s pretty fun to talk about,” Kentucky head coach Mark Pope told the media on Tuesday. “We’re talking to all of our guys that are going through this (NBA) process all of the time.”

Last season, the 6-foot-4 guard led the Wildcats in points and steals per game. Throughout the season, Oweh was a proven piece of Kentucky’s road to the Sweet Sixteen.

“He has so much room to grow,” Pope said. “I think his ceiling as a playmaker, he hasn’t even begun to tap into that, I think he can become an elite-level playmaker.”

To Pope’s point, Oweh only averaged 1.7 assists per game with 1.5 turnovers per game, a near one-to-one ratio.

“Otega’s physicality is elite,” Pope said. “His physicality on the offense and defensive end… shows up in contact, hits, it shows up in his explosiveness, it shows up in his first step, it shows up in his ability to kind of navigate guarding guys off the ball through screens by creating space with his chest.”

On May 2, the NBA announced their invitees to the NBA Combine ahead of the NBA Draft this summer. Guard Koby Brea and Oweh and two Kentucky players were invited out of the 75-prospect pool.

This week prospects will showcase their talents and measurements at Wintrust Arena and the Marriott Marquis in Chicago for scouts. 

Last season, Kentucky endured several injuries. However, Oweh started all 36 games and had to step up with guards Jaxon Robinson and Lamont Butler missing significant time. 

Oweh was recognized as one of the conference’s best players, as he was named to the 2024-25 All-SEC Second Team. 

“These are lifelong relationships that we build, and as these guys go pursue the next step, it’s really exciting for us and exciting for them, and we’re on it,” Pope said.

If Oweh gets signed or drafted by an NBA squad, it would be a massive loss for Kentucky.

Brea, Butler, Robinson, Ansley Almonor, Andrew Carr, and Amari Williams have exhausted their college eligibility in addition to Travis Perry and Kerr Kriisa leaving the program via the transfer portal.

From the nine confirmed departures, five of them are guards. Losing Oweh would be a sixth guard gone from last season’s squad. 

Thankfully for Pope and his staff, Oweh is still eligible to return to Kentucky. However, a decision has to be made by June 15 at the latest, 10 days ahead of the NBA Draft.