Kentucky basketball Pro Day: 10 things we learned from the Wildcats’ practice
Mark Pope’s Kentucky Wildcats spent Tuesday night inside Memorial Coliseum, with the opener to the 2025-26 college basketball season four weeks away and dozens of NBA scouts sitting along one sideline.
They had plenty to watch this time around.
While Pope’s first Pro Day as UK’s coach was relatively light on NBA prospects, his second roster could be chock full of them. And even with perhaps the team’s two best players watching from the sidelines, that talent was on display throughout the evening.
Kentucky’s Pro Day was closed to fans, and while it streamed live on SEC Network+, there was probably plenty that was missed amid the talking. Here’s what we learned from inside Memorial Coliseum:
Defense first at Kentucky basketball’s Pro Day
At one point in a five-on-five drill, Mark Pope blew his whistle, gathered his team and shouted loud enough for everyone to hear: “We have to have some vertical presence defensively!”
At that moment, the UK coach was imploring his defenders to push the primary ball-handler as far out away from the basket as possible.
One observer who has been a regular visitor to Kentucky’s practices this fall told the Herald-Leader that Pope and his staff have made it clear that they want to put as much pressure on the ball as they can and prevent the opposing team from initiating its offense so easily.
That makes sense. Pope has implied as much already this preseason, and he was not pleased with Kentucky’s defense, in general, for much of last season, when the Cats finished 51st nationally in the KenPom efficiency ratings on that side of the ball and ended up 338th nationally (that’s not a typo, folks) in turnover percentage.
Some of the Wildcats have said in recent days that Pope wants this team to be much more disruptive defensively than last year’s squad. He built this roster, partially, with that goal in mind, and if Tuesday night was any indication, this UK squad should be much better in that regard.
Where’s the offense for the UK Wildcats?
There’s apparently been so much attention paid to the defensive side of the ball this preseason that the offense has looked “sloppy” in Kentucky’s early fall practices. That’s a switch from last year, according to those who watched both teams practice regularly and said offense was the point of emphasis early on for Pope’s first UK team.
To be clear, this squad has offensive weapons. Plenty of them, in fact. And some highlight-reel plays were made Tuesday night, but that’s not necessarily what Kentucky’s coaches wanted to see.
At one point, Collin Chandler received a pass about 60 feet from the basket and drove past all five opponents to slam home a dunk. Whistles blew and play was stopped. The pause wasn’t to congratulate Chandler but to question why there wasn’t more resistance.
Breakdowns like that one weren’t common, and each time the coaches called out whoever was playing defense for a lack of pressure, that pressure seemed to pick up. The scoring will come with this team — the Cats ranked 10th nationally in offensive efficiency last season, and Pope has once again assembled a group that should thrive in his system — but defense is where the focus has been so far.
Lots of chatter amongst this year’s Kentucky squad
Last season’s team featured seven seniors, six of them who were heading into their fifth year of college basketball. At times with that bunch, there was an air of cool, calm and collectedness — natural for a group with so many veterans who had been there, done that at this level.
This roster features only two seniors and a lot more youth. And the vibes on the court were noticeably different as a result.
There was constant chatter — not necessarily of the smack-talk variety. Teammates were vocal in calling out assignments. Much of the noise seemed to come in the form of encouragement. During one drill, things got particularly spirited on one end of the court, seemingly everyone on both sides yelling out.
“It’s two and a half hours of this,” remarked someone who’s already seen this team practice several times, referencing what those sessions typically look like.
The takeaway here: this team is competitive, and that’s a word that has been used by several coaches, players and outside observers to describe Pope’s new group.
UK basketball’s depth was on display
Perhaps the easiest observation to be made about this roster? “They’re deep.”
Those two words were spoken by several in attendance, usually with some emphasis on the second word of that sentence. “They have two of everything,” one observer said.
They actually have three of some things. Pope has a roster with 14 scholarship-level players, and — if everyone is healthy at the same time — he’s going to have some difficult decisions to limit his rotation to 10 or fewer guys. Pope will also have the luxury of mixing and matching players at different spots — “positionless” could be used to describe a few of these Wildcats — while throwing different looks at opponents at the same position.
And that depth was evident despite two key players not doing much of anything Tuesday …
Otega Oweh’s injury keeps him on sidelines
Kentucky’s leading scorer from last season, Otega Oweh, was in Memorial Coliseum for Pro Day, but he didn’t participate in any organized basketball activities. Oweh suffered a turf toe injury toward the end of summer practice and is still recovering from that setback.
The senior guard told the Herald-Leader last week that he expected to be “active” for Pro Day, but that didn’t happen. He dribbled around on the court and looked to be moving well as teammates warmed up. After that, he either watched from the side or from a seat on one of the benches.
Still, he was engaged and constantly encouraging his teammates from the sidelines, and it sounds like he’ll be joining them on the court soon. He is expected to be at full strength for the regular-season opener Nov. 4 and also plans to play in both of UK’s exhibition games.
Jayden Quaintance’s injury status
Kentucky’s injured big man — projected NBA lottery pick Jayden Quaintance — actually did a lot more than Oweh on Tuesday night. Quaintance had surgery to repair a torn ACL in the middle of March and has not yet been cleared for full-contact practice.
“I’ve been giving it 100% every day, just going as hard as I can and doing the best that I can — just giving my all to this rehab process,” he told the Herald-Leader on Monday. “So I feel like everything’s been going as well as it can go, and I’m just trying to keep it going — building every day, brick by brick.
“We really don’t have any timelines. It’s just trusting my trainers, trusting my coaches. They’re trying to get me back to 100%, and when they feel I’m ready, they’ll put me in.”
Quaintance went through the initial warmup stage with his teammates, and he wouldn’t have looked out of place there to anyone who didn’t know his injury status. He also put up plenty of shots throughout the Pro Day event, staying on the court after it was over to shoot some more.
Pope and the UK staff won’t be rushing Quaintance back before he’s fully healthy, and a return in time for SEC play in January has been the most common timeline referenced behind the scenes over the past couple of weeks.
UK basketball’s NBA draft prospects
Reputable mock drafts from legitimate outlets are difficult to come by this time of year, but an update from Bleacher Report last month projected Jayden Quaintance at No. 4 overall and Otega Oweh at No. 57. ESPN’s board over the summer had Quaintance at No. 6 and did not include Oweh at all.
Both of those outlets actually had Tulane transfer Kam Williams — listed as a 6-8 guard — as UK’s No. 2 draft prospect for 2026, with Bleacher Report projecting him at No. 38 overall and ESPN pegging him at No. 46.
The 19-year-old was plenty active in front of the more than 30 NBA scouts who were in attendance Tuesday night, a disruptive, athletic presence on both sides of the ball. Williams might also be Kentucky’s top 3-point shooter by the time this season is finished.
During one sequence, it looked like Jaland Lowe had a wide-open, 3-point look for the wing, but Williams gobbled up space and blocked that shot out of nowhere. He might be a one-and-done at Kentucky.
A longer-term draft prospect to keep an eye on will be freshman Braydon Hawthorne, who is officially listed as a 6-8, 190-pound forward and will be one of UK’s skinniest players in memory. While he’ll need to add some strength in the coming years, the talent here is impossible to miss.
Hawthorne has a pretty 3-point shot, a clear feel for the game and appears to possess plenty of defensive upside. He also fought back against bigger, stronger, older teammates, which has apparently been the norm in UK’s practice sessions. He might not get a ton of meaningful minutes this season, but he could be a star player for this program down the road.
‘Confident’ Collin Chandler a two-way threat
After struggling to break into the rotation following a two-year church mission last season, Collin Chandler looks like a completely different player going into Year 2.
Chandler put together a strong finish to his freshman season — emerging as a key backcourt reserve down the stretch — but there was a lot of frustration leading up to that point as he tried to find his game. He’s found it now.
One of the buzziest players of the summer, Chandler looked like a legitimate two-way threat Tuesday night. He attacked the basket. He made 3-pointers. He was disruptive defensively, on and off the ball. The competitiveness that Pope and teammates have talked about was clear. Chandler was simply locked in.
“Confident” was the word several observers used to describe him. They were correct, and he looks like a player who could be sitting on a big season.
Kentucky’s ‘heart and soul’ this year could be Dioubate
Lamont Butler, the Wildcats’ point guard last season, was described by Pope (and teammates) as the “heart and soul” of that team. Butler was one of those seniors who has since moved on, but Pope might have found a new heart and soul for his second roster.
Mouhamed Dioubate came to Lexington with the reputation of being a relentless competitor and a terrific teammate, and he’s clearly going to be one of the leaders of this group.
Pope wanted a more physical team for Year 2, and Dioubate personified that search. He was initiating contact with UK’s bigs Tuesday night. He clearly knows how to use his own body — 6-7, 220 pounds and pure strength — to his advantage. He had some crafty finishes around the basket as a result of creative movements. He smothered junior big man Brandon Garrison on one play, deflecting the ball and leading to a steal. His 3-point shot looks a little strange — he’s a lefty with a long windup — but it often went in. He also initiated the offense as a passer on the perimeter. And he’s the rebounding force that he was billed as in the transfer portal.
Simply put, Dioubate was active and seemingly everywhere all at once. Pope will have a hard time keeping him off the court this season.
More UK Pro Day takeaways
Jaland Lowe is undoubtedly the starting point guard for this team, and he looked pretty much as advertised Tuesday night. He’s not big — the official listing is 6-1 (and a half) and 170 pounds — but he’s quick and crafty, with or without the ball. He showed no hesitation on open 3-point shots, and it would be a shock if he doesn’t fare substantially better than the 26.6% he shot from deep last season at Pitt, where too much was on his shoulders offensively.
Lowe also showed off some creative finishes in traffic at the basket. He won’t be the defender that Lamont Butler was for the Cats last season — that’s rarified air — but he should be quicker and more creative offensively, and this team appears to have plenty of D elsewhere.
It’s difficult to overstate just how different Trent Noah looks on the court. He’s listed at 6-5 and 220 pounds — same as last year — but it’s clear that he’s trimmed down and put on a lot more muscle. He was constantly in the mix physically Tuesday night. The consensus says he’s Kentucky’s best 3-point shooter, and his competition level stands out on a squad filled with competitors. It’ll be interesting to see how much Pope can get him on the court.
Denzel Aberdeen, a senior transfer who played the past three seasons at Florida, has been a popular pick to start for the Wildcats, and he looked the part. Aberdeen was incredibly athletic and active, especially defensively — he was constantly hounding his assignments on that end — and appears to play bigger than his 6-5 frame would suggest.
McDonald’s All-American freshman Malachi Moreno and junior forward Reece Potter — a fellow 7-footer, Lexington native and transfer from Miami (Ohio) — had their moments. Moreno, in particular, made some loud plays on both ends and will be of more long-term interest to pro scouts. He’ll get meaningful minutes as Quaintance continues to recover. Potter was solid, drawing some shout outs from Pope for being in the right places at the right times.
Brandon Garrison, Andrija Jelavic and Jasper Johnson could all be real difference-makers on this team, but all three still seemed to be trying to find their way at times Tuesday night.
Garrison is likely to be the team’s starting center with Quaintance on the shelf. Physically, he’ll be a force for the Wildcats, but he’s still fine-tuning some aspects of his game, particularly the way Pope wants his bigs to play offensively.
Jelavic only arrived in the United States in August — after playing the past two seasons for a pro team in Serbia — and it’s clear he’s still processing everything on the court. If UK fans are expecting another player in the mold of fellow Croatian forward Zvonimir Ivisic, who played for the Cats two seasons ago, that thinking needs to change. Jelavic doesn’t quite have the same level of natural smoothness that Big Z did (though he clearly has a great feel for the game). He looked sturdier but also a little clunkier in his movements. It’s too early to judge what kind of impact he could have on this team.
And Johnson — the highest-rated high school recruit of Pope’s head coaching career — could be something special in UK’s backcourt as a freshman, but he looked very much like a freshman for large chunks of Tuesday’s event. That’s to be expected, but it was apparent — especially amid a team of mostly veterans — that he’s still trying to figure out exactly how to transition his offensively explosive game to this level. He did make some tough shots, and there’s no questioning his talent level.
All three of those players will be interesting to watch in the coming weeks and months.
This story was originally published October 7, 2025 at 10:11 PM.
