Men's Basketball

Recapping John Calipari’s Interview With Paul Finebaum

Published

3 years ago

June 1, 2022

Tristan Pharis

UK Athletics

On Tuesday, John Calipari made gave his latest interview. This with Paul Finebaum during SEC meetings in Destin.

Let’s see what all he had to say.

What is the state of your program?

“We were the fifth-seeded team in that tournament and lost. I’m still sick over it. Jacob is coming back, Oscar is coming. I mean we got a team. (goes on to list the remainder of the roster)…

We got a terrific group. It’s Kentucky, we play for the national championship. My thing always is, you want to be in the hunt. We were in the hunt last year. Two years ago, when we win our league by three games, they shut down the tournament. That team could’ve won the whole thing. You want to be in the hunt, and I am looking at this team, and we have a chance. We really do.”

How do you deal with it (the loss to St. Peters)?

“There’s some grieving. I have never had a team lose to a seed like that, but they weren’t a 15 seed, Saint Peters was really good. We had never done that, so I had to deal with that. Like okay, ‘where do you go?’ You look back, ‘what could we have done?’

We weren’t great the last five games. Guys didn’t come back the way I thought they would. If we lose, who is taking responsibility? I will. If we win, I push those kids to the front and move to the back a little bit. I’m going to figure out a way to put this on me because I don’t want it on the kids. I’d rather it be on me, I am the adult in the room.

These young people gave everything they could to the university. We were like 3rd in the country (in the NET), 2nd on offense, and all that stuff. That team was exciting. I loved coaching last year’s team, had a ball. You know what? That last game, really the last couple of games, we just weren’t what we were two or three weeks earlier. I thought the injuries would help us, get more guys and we’d bounce back. I don’t think TyTy ever got healthy. Played Kellan too many minutes.

You know what? At the end of the day, you can’t steal the joy of that season. The last game, you got to go through it, you got to deal with it. Then I got to lead by showing our guys ‘okay now next, here we go’. They’re coming on campus the next couple of days. We’re getting ready for this coming year to go do what we do.”

What has kept you at Kentucky?

“I think I got the best job in basketball, and I believe that. Yeah, I’ve had some opportunities to look or leave, and you know what? At the end of the day, you look at this situation, we have the chance to win it every year.

Mitch and I are meeting because it’s unacceptable if we’re not the gold standard in facilities and everything else. It’s not acceptable if midnight madness isn’t something talked about for a month. We need the campout going again.

Here’s what I say. See basketball is different than football. In football, you need the calvary. In basketball one guy can make a difference in winning the whole thing or getting to the Final Four, one guy. To have everything the gold standard, we’ve always been that. We slipped a little bit in some of the facilities. Now I’m not saying our facilities are bad, they’re not bad, they’re just not the gold standard.

Mitch and I are going to sit down and talk ‘okay, what’s the path?’. How do we get that going to where anybody that walks on our campus and sees any facilities, knows, ‘Wow, look at this’? We’re going to get there. Like I said, he and I are going to sit down and talk about it, but again what we do, the big picture, is getting kids to that next level by developing young people.”

How have you adapted to change and continue to relate to these players?

“What’s next and how can we be first at it? What’s out there? What are we allowed to do? (referring to NIL) If you truly care about the kids and are authentic about it, you’ll always be able to go on because they’ll know you’re about them. Jacob ran his course, did his thing, and is coming back. He will be unbelievable. He will be a first-round pick.

You have Shaedon Sharpe right now going through this process. A great kid, who I love, who came to us in the middle of last season, and had every intention of ‘I’m sitting out, and I’m playing next year, and I am going to lead us and we’re going to go do something crazy’. Well, circumstances change. Now for me, I want to coach the kid. I want him back at Kentucky, but if he is a top-10 pick, and he’s your son. I mean it’s a hard one… I just don’t want our kids to be mad at him for doing something he probably has to do (if he’s a top-10 pick).”

How do you deal with all the noise?

“Social media has amped the stuff up and sometimes it’s a ‘follow the leader type of deal’. At the end of the day, being at Kentucky, you have the greatest fans. The other side of it is they’re activated and they’re into it. They’re watching everything and losing is life and death. When you’re winning, there is nothing more euphoric.

I can remember us driving from the airport after winning the national title, and people from the nursing home are in wheelchairs and on the street waving. I’m like, ‘are you serious?’. I got emotional because this is what it means to all the people in our state.

I’ve done this for a long time. The bullets are shot through bazooka holes. The greatest job, the greatest opportunity, we got to make everything the gold standard, which is what it’s been. You know what? Let’s go on and do some crazy stuff, which we have a chance to do.”

You can listen to the interview in its entirety here starting at the 12:50 mark.

Men's Basketball

Denzel Aberdeen And Otega Oweh Could Form Dynamic Backcourt Duo For Kentucky

Former Florida guard joins Oweh to give Kentucky one of the nation’s most dynamic pairings.

Published

1 day ago

June 13, 2025

Ali Cetinok

Eddie Justice | UK Athletics

It’s rare for a team to poach a key player from within its own conference — and even more unlikely to lure one away from the reigning national champions. So when Mark Pope and Kentucky landed senior guard Denzel Aberdeen after three seasons at Florida, his former SEC foe turned teammate Otega Oweh — along with Big Blue Nation — was buzzing with excitement over the possibilities ahead.

While most projections have Aberdeen slotted into the two-guard spot in Kentucky’s starting lineup, Oweh believes his versatility could make an even greater impact, particularly at point guard.

“He’s fresh off of a ring. He’s a solid PG,” Oweh said. “You know he’s going to bring that calmness to our group.”

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Aberdeen steadily improved each year of his college career, raising his scoring average from 1.6 points per game in 2022-23 to 3.3 in 2023-24, and finishing last season with 7.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He shot 41.8% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc while helping Florida win a national championship.

When a player transfers out of a program, the reaction from that school’s fan base can speak volumes. In Aberdeen’s case, many Florida fans were visibly upset about losing him — especially to a conference rival like Kentucky.

They knew just how dangerous he could be when paired with a certain wing returning to the Wildcats. Regardless of where Aberdeen lines up in the backcourt next season, his combination with Oweh has the potential to become one of the most explosive duos in the country.

Men's Basketball

Otega Oweh On Leading Kentucky’s New Roster: “If we win, everyone wins”

Otega Oweh, following his decision to return to Kentucky for a final season, is prepared to take on a leadership role.

Published

1 day ago

June 13, 2025

Lane Mills

Otega Oweh is ready to take on a leadership role.

Chet White | UK Athletics

With his triumphant, last-second return to Lexington for a second and final season in the blue and white, last year’s breakout star Otega Oweh essentially tied a bow on the army knife that is Kentucky’s incoming roster.

And while the talent coming in from all sides is full of athletes weathered in their own ways, Oweh, having already played under the big blue lights, looks to step into a leadership role.

“I’m definitely going to have to be one of the leaders, for sure,” he said. “…I’m going to do it in my own way. Being vocal, but also a little intense. I feel like that’s kind of my thing.”

Oweh became a fan favorite Wildcat this year for a multitude of reasons, the least of which weren’t his game-winning buckets and highlight slams that seemed to occur on a regular basis.

But beyond the stuff that made it on SportsCenter, Oweh carried much of the team’s energy when he was on the floor. The game seemed to move through him on both ends; a ball of momentum that, at times, made or broke the result of a match.

While last year’s magical run came up short, Oweh, like his head coach, has his sights set on a banner this fall.

“We have a lot of guys who could get big accolades this year… so I feel like, with that, comes a national championship. If we win the natty, everyone is going to get what they want. If we win, everyone wins.”

As Kentucky’s star returner, and a potential early favorite for SEC Player of the Year, Otega Oweh carries the weight of Rupp Arena on his shoulders.

But not only is he up for the challenge, he seems to embrace it. Coming back as the presumed best guy on the floor means not only meeting expectations, but exceeding them.

The most passionate fanbase in college basketball looks on as #00 leads the charge towards one of the most promising, exciting seasons Lexington has seen in years.

“It really felt like we had unfinished business,” said Oweh. A long awaited ninth banner hangs in the balance as Mark Pope, Otega Oweh, and the Kentucky Wildcats gear up for the 2025-26 season.

Men's Basketball

Travis Perry Clears The Air On Kentucky Exit

Published

2 days ago

June 12, 2025

Israel Schill

Matthew Mueller | Kentucky Kernel

Before his decision to transfer to Ole Miss, Travis Perry had long been considered one of Kentucky’s most iconic high school basketball players.

“I was devastated when Travis left,” Mark Pope told reporters. “I think he was on his way to becoming a legend here at Kentucky.”

As a junior at Lyon County High School in Eddyville, Kentucky, Perry broke the state’s all-time scoring record, eventually reaching 5,481 career points, a milestone that was just the beginning of his growing legacy.

He capped his historic high school résumé in 2024 by leading Lyon County to a state championship, earning Sweet 16 MVP honors, being named Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball and claiming his second Gatorade Kentucky Player of the Year award, solidifying his place among the greats to come out of the Bluegrass State.

As a freshman for the Wildcats, Perry took on a limited role, primarily serving as a shooter off the bench. Eventually, he decided he wanted something for his game that Kentucky wasn’t offering.

“Whenever I got in the portal, I felt that Coach Beard’s vision for me was exactly what I was looking for,” Perry said in his first media appearance as a Rebel.

Perry emphasized that one of the main reasons for choosing Oxford was the opportunity to grow beyond the label of a pure shooter, something he felt had limited him at Kentucky.

In his lone season as a Wildcat, Perry averaged 2.7 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 9.8 minutes per game, and despite shooting efficiently, he rarely had plays run for him.

“Travis and I share a vision for his game that he’s much more than a shooter. He’s a guy who can play multiple positions,” Rebels head coach Chris Beard said.

For one of Kentucky’s most accomplished high school players, the move to Oxford is less about leaving home and more about finding the right fit to unlock his full potential.

With a fresh opportunity under Coach Beard, he’s focused on expanding his game, helping the team win and proving he’s more than just a shooter off the bench.