His game can be maddening at times, but this Kentucky Wildcat is only getting better

One of the most memorable plays in Kentucky’s win against Illinois on Sunday night wasn’t quite the dagger that put the Illini away, but it was close.

The image of Lamont Butler racing behind Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis, knocking the ball away, turning on a dime and finding Brandon Garrison at the rim for an and-one finish is one that will live long in UK basketball lore if these Cats keep on winning this March.

At the end of it, Garrison was the one who scored the bucket. He was the one screaming and flexing for the Milwaukee crowd. But he was the supporting player in this play.

In the moment itself and after Kentucky’s eventual 84-75 victory over Illinois to advance to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16, it was Butler’s defensive excellence that drew the most attention. Rightfully so. And that was just fine with Garrison. It’s the role he’s found himself in all season long.

About a year ago, the 6-foot-10, 250-pound forward — at that time, a year removed from being a McDonald’s All-American recruit — committed to coach Mark Pope’s first Kentucky team. Garrison had been a starter as a freshman at Oklahoma State. The Wildcats’ transfer class already featured 7-footer Amari Williams, a three-time league defensive player at the mid-major level. It was clear the two bigs couldn’t play at the same time — not much, anyway — in Pope’s offensive system.

“There was a little bit of tension on — positioning and minutes wise — how was that gonna work?” Pope told the Herald-Leader this month. “And so we actually started talking about that from day one, before I think Brandon even decided to come. Part of the conversation with Brandon was, ‘You were at Oklahoma State. You had nobody to compete with, nobody to learn from. You were just out there on an island as really the lone post presence on the entire roster. And you should come grow. You should come learn and grow and compete. You’re gonna get so much better if you compete with Amari every day.’ Right?”

That was the idea. And, by all accounts of those who have had a front-row seat for what happened next, that’s the way it’s worked out.

Pope saw the personality differences as he was recruiting both Williams and Garrison. Spend any time at all around Kentucky’s two bigs, and you would, too.

Williams is often quiet and contemplative. Polite, for sure, but a little difficult to get a read on until you really get to know him.

Garrison is seemingly always bouncing with energy. He wears his heart on his sleeve and — when he’s not on the court, in the heat of a game — often wears a smile on his face.

Williams is also more than two years older than Garrison. He moved away from his home country of England not long after his 18th birthday and is now in his fifth year of college. He graduated from Drexel University last year. Garrison, a sophomore, was still sitting in an Oklahoma high school two years ago.

“And it’s actually turned into exactly what I hoped it would, which we thought it would,” Pope said. “It’s a big brother-little brother — or it’s a dad and child or a grandfather and grandson, whichever dynamic you want — because those guys have competed with each other. They’ve kind of pissed each other off. But, man, they take care of each other. And they are in this together. And they know they need each other right now. That’s super cool, when you get to this point where it’s like, ‘We need each other. Like, you got to come help me.’”

Brandon Garrison vs. Amari Williams

Williams is quick to acknowledge that those early practice battles with Garrison helped both players get better. He was making the jump from big fish at Drexel to the uncertainty of UK and the SEC, and Garrison was getting to play every day — for the first time in his life — against someone that could match his size, strength and physicality.

“Those battles were always fun, and it kind of shows now what it can do,” Williams said.

As for Pope’s comment about Kentucky’s two bigs getting under each other’s skin, the Wildcats’ starting center didn’t let on.

“But I know a few players on this team that didn’t like the way he set screens,” Williams said with a grin. “I’m not going to say who, but it’s something he’s definitely been doing for a while.”

This was the day before the Kentucky-Illinois game. One locker over, UK guard Koby Brea was asked to look back on those battles between Williams and Garrison during the summer and fall.

“It was popcorn, man,” he said. “It was like a movie, for real. You know, they’re two physical guys, two big bodies. So just watching them battle every day — but, you know, they do it with good intentions. You know they want to make each other better. And so it’s been super fun to watch that coming into every practice, knowing that something’s gonna go down.”

At this point, Williams was listening in on the conversation. When Pope’s comment about the two bigs ticking each other off at times was recounted, Brea nodded and laughed. Williams shot his teammate some major side-eye, but Brea just kept on talking.

“For sure. All the time!” he said, not caring at all about the glare of the 7-footer sitting next to him. “And there were a lot of battles where one got the other one. And sometimes it was kind of even, kind of tied, and the guards — we were all quick to instigate every battle. We wanted to see it all.”

Williams shook his head, but the vibe in that corner of the UK locker room was that Brea had gotten to the truth of the matter. And that truth is: The Wildcats are a better team as a result of those battles that started back in the preseason.

“It’s all about competition, to make each other better,” Brea said. “So we see them go at it like that, and all the guards, we want to do the same thing. So just every day, continuing to get each other better. And I think it’s a big reason why we are where we are today.”

The night before, Garrison, who had scored just six points total over UK’s previous three games, unloaded for 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals in 16 minutes off the bench in a 76-57 win against Troy in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

In that game, Garrison played a major role in a 16-0 run to put the Trojans away. He came up with big plays on both ends of the court. His hard-nosed approach and relentless chatter even incited Troy’s Jackson Fields to shove him in the back at one point, drawing a flagrant foul and bringing even more momentum to Kentucky’s side. Garrison didn’t retaliate. He went about his business, and the Cats rolled on to a victory.

“He was ready, for sure,” Williams declared that night. “And that’s something I’ve seen throughout the whole season from him, in practice and in games. So what he did tonight was not a surprise to any of us. And just seeing how much players try to get under his skin, and how he forced the flagrant — the growth is there. We all see it. So we’re all proud of him, for sure.”

A future with Kentucky basketball

Mention Garrison’s name in the presence of his teammates and coaches, and it’s more likely than not to be greeted with a smile. It’s not the same kind of smile that comes from mentioning Butler’s defense or Brea’s shooting ability or Andrew Carr’s leadership.

These grins regarding Garrison have a little more mischief in them.

“He’s a goofy guy, for sure,” Williams said.

That’s a good thing.

“Just having light-hearted guys like that goes a long way,” he added.

Garrison is never dull. Everyone will give him that. Off the court, he elicits laughter and eye rolls from his older teammates. Sometimes they just shake their heads at the things he does or says. On the court, he can bring Pope, the Cats and their fans pure joy — like when he got that bucket and drew that foul in the Illinois game — but he can also leave all of them shaking their heads, staring off into the distance and wondering what, exactly, he had been thinking.

Garrison, a player who attempted exactly zero 3-pointers in his freshman year at Oklahoma State, has something of a green light at Kentucky. If he’s open, the coaches want him to shoot it. He’s still getting used to that, and it’s led to some ill-advised attempts that have drawn sideways glances from the Kentucky bench, but that’s all part of the learning process.

Garrison is 12-for-40 from deep on the season. That’s just 30%. But the Cats are 8-2 in games where he makes one, including wins against NCAA Tournament teams Troy, Gonzaga, Mississippi State, Oklahoma and Tennessee, their opponent in the Sweet 16 game in Indianapolis on Friday night.

Shooting from long range, even when he misses, is part of his growth as a basketball player, and Pope, his teammates and those watching at home are all consuming all of it in real time, the good and the bad.

The bad can often be loud. Some of the good barely gets noticed.

Garrison’s energy is contagious. He does get under the skin of opponents. Defenses have to account for his passing ability. Those hard screens that Williams mentioned? It was primarily his picks that helped Brea get open looks amid a second-half shooting clinic in the win against Illinois on Sunday.

Garrison came to Kentucky not knowing exactly what to expect, in terms of role or playing time. He found more of a challenge than he ever faced at Oklahoma State, where he started just about every game — no competition at the position, but a season of losing basketball to show for it. Battling with Williams every day has been a blessing.

“Oh yeah, it was something I knew coming into this,” Garrison said. “And I feel like it helped us both out. Just Amari and what he did at Drexel. And just like during practice, you know, we battle with each other, making each other better. So I feel like it was a good fit for both of us.”

His game, warts and all, has clearly expanded under Pope.

“Last season, I didn’t have the ball in my hand a lot — just a whole different play style,” Garrison said. “But him allowing the bigs to run the offense, I feel like it’s just been good, because, you know, at the next level, that’s the game now — bigs stepping out, shooting the ball, running the offense. So just playing in this system, I feel like it will help me and Amari.”

There’s been talk of interest in Garrison — a 6-10, 250-pounder who has shown promise as a perimeter player — in NBA draft circles. But probably not enough for him to hear his name called in this year’s edition.

Garrison, who has been able to evolve at his own pace over the course of the past year, doesn’t seem to be in any great rush to get there. He made a comment last week in Milwaukee that “knowing the offense” at Kentucky would benefit him next season, perhaps a tell that he plans to be back in Lexington for another one. Such returns are never a certainty these days. But Garrison has learned a lot over the last year.

“I think it’s been good, just because he gets to see how other guys that have been successful at this level — how they work and how we study the game and stuff like that,” Brea said. “So just being around that, especially with Amari — you know, that’s kind of like his big brother, and that’s somebody that’s really good to look up to. So I think he’s been in good hands. And he’s gonna continue to get better.”

Williams agreed that there are much brighter days ahead for Garrison’s game.

Pope is simply pleased by the dynamic in the present.

“It’s been awesome. A lot of times you hope things are gonna work out a certain way, and they do a little bit. This deal has been brilliant, because of the two kids. They’re special kids.”

This story was originally published March 26, 2025 at 6:30 AM.

Ben Roberts

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-429-2848

Ben Roberts is the University of Kentucky men’s basketball beat writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He has previously specialized in UK basketball recruiting coverage and created and maintained the Next Cats blog. He is a Franklin County native and first joined the Herald-Leader in 2006. Support my work with a digital subscription