< Previous2023-24 (at Oklahoma): Appeared in 32 games and made 28 starts … Rady Children’s Invitational All-Tournament Team selection … Averaged 11.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 assists per outing … Shot 49.3% from the field, 37.7% from deep and 64.3% from the free-throw line …. Recorded double-digit points on 19 occasions … Started the season opener against Central Michigan, scoring 18 points and adding a team-high eight rebounds and three steals … Scored 20 points and added six rebounds and three steals against Missis- sippi Valley State … Recorded 14 points, a career-high four assists and three rebounds against UTRGV … Notched 13 points, four rebounds and four steals against Iowa … Scored 16 points, including the last-second tip-in against USC in the Rady Children’s In- vitational Championship game … Scored 20 points and added four rebounds, three as- sists, two blocks and two steals versus UAPB … Recorded 13 points, three rebounds, a steal, block and assist against Providence … Scored 16 points at Oklahoma State (2/24) … Posted 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting and added four rebounds and three steals vs. TCU in the Big 12 Tournament. 2022-23 (at Oklahoma): Appeared in 28 games and made nine starts as a freshman … Averaged 4.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game … Tallied four double-figure scoring efforts … Started the final nine games of the season. High School: Four-star prospect by ESPN.com, 247Sports and Rivals … Ranked No. 73 by 247Sports, 76 by Rivals and 89 by ESPN … Led Team Final EYBL (PA) to a 17U Peach Jam title … Named Nike EYBL Peach Jam Breakout Play- er of the Session and averaged 14.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.3 assists per contest. Personal: Born June 21 in Union, New Jersey … Par- ents are Tania and Henry Oweh … Has three siblings, Kaylen, Odafe and Natasha … Brother, Odafe, is a linebacker for the Bal- timore Ravens … Major is communication … He chose No. 00 because it represents his name… Off the court he enjoys watching Netflix or YouTube … His favorite show is Martin … Lists his favorite movie as Paid in Full … Before games the one thing he has to do is pray … Chose Kentucky because of its rich history when it comes to basketball and he believes in Coach Pope’s vision … Favor- ite basketball player is Lebron James and his favorite former UK player is John Wall. Follow OTEGA on Social Media n @OtegaOweh on X n @otegaoweh on Instagram 38 @KentuckyMBB OTEGA OWEH 6-4 n 215 n Jr. n Newark, N.J. #00 n G High School: Capped his high school career as the all- time leading scorer in the state of Kentucky … Scored 5,381 career points, which is also the seventh-most all-time in the country per the MaxPreps National High School Basket- ball Record Book … Perry is the only player in state history to eclipse 5,000 career points … He ranks No. 2 for all-time 3-pointers with 712 made from long range during his Lyon County career … Perry also ranked second all-time with 1,918 career made field goals … His 933 free throws ranks No. 10 … Perry forced 650 career steals which ranks No. 9 all-time … Perry ranks No. 1 in the Kentucky state record books for all five categories … He led Lyon County to a state championship in 2024 … Was named the Sweet 16’s MVP … He averaged 32.2 points, 6.2 boards, 5.8 assists and 4.7 steals per game as a senior … Perry was the 2024 Mr. Kentucky Basketball … He is a two-time Gatorade State Player of the Year … Scored in double-figures in 196 of 201 career games played … As a junior, Perry averaged 31.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game … Finished his high school career with a 4.0 grade-point average … A four-star prospect, ranked as high as 75th by Rivals, while ESPN and 247Sports list him at 77th. Personal: Born April 20 in Lexington, Kentucky … Par- ents are Jami and Ryan Perry … Has three siblings, Lilly, Maddie and Parker … His most memorable moment as a basketball player is winning the KHSAA State Champi- onship in Rupp Arena with his father as the head coach … Lists golf as a favorite activity away from the court … Favorite foods are watermelon or chicken alfredo … Dunked for the first time in ninth grade at his high school gym … Invisibility would be the su- perpower he would choose … Lists Step Brothers and Talladega Nights as favorite movies, while The Last Dance is his favor- ite TV show … Chose No. 11 because John Wall wore it at Kentucky … Michael Jordan is his all-time favorite basketball player … His favorite UK players are John Wall, Tyler Herro and Mark Pope. Follow TRAVIS on Social Media n @Travis_Perry11 on X n @tjp_11 on Instagram @UKSportsNetwork 39 TRAVIS PERRY 6-1 n 188 n Fr. n Eddyville, Ky. #11 n G 2023-24 (at BYU): Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year … All-Big 12 Honorable Mention … Big 12 Student-Ath- lete of the Month (December 2023) … Ap- peared in 33 games, making six starts … First bench player in program history to lead the team in scoring … Averaged 14.2 points per game, while shooting 42.6% from the field, 35.4% from 3-point range and 90.8% from the charity stripe … Eclipsed double-digit scoring in 25 games … Sunk 81 3-pointers, the 11th-most in a single-season in program history … Made at least one 3 in each of the final 21 games, tied for the sixth-longest streak in BYU history … Poured in a ca- reer-high 28 points highlighted by knocking down eight 3s in a win over Denver … Be- came one of just 15 players in program his- tory to score 25 or more points in an NCAA Tournament game when he logged 25 in the opening-round against Duquesne. 2022-23 (at BYU): Appeared in 33 games and made 30 starts … Averaged 28.1 minutes per game … Logged 8.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game … Shot 38.6% from the field, 34.3% from long range and 68.0% from the free- throw line … Scored in double-figures in 16 games … Drained a 3-pointer in 15 consecu- tive games, which is tied for the 13th longest streak in a single season in program history. 2021-22 (at Arkansas): Made the department’s honor roll for the fall semester … Played in 16 games and made four starts. 2020-21 (at Texas A&M): Played in 14 games, making four starts … Recorded a block and assist in his collegiate debut in the season-opening win over New Orleans … Scored his first career points off a 3-pointer from the top of the key in the win over SE Louisiana. High School: Four-star prospect by 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals … Ranked No. 62nd nationally and No. 16th at his position by 247Sports. Personal: Born Dec. 3 in Durant, Oklahoma … Par- ents are Brandi and James McWilliams … Earned a degree in communication from BYU … His mother, Brandi, played basket- ball for Missouri State … His aunt, Crystal Robinson, played basketball for Louisiana Tech and serves as an assistant coach for the WNBA’s Chicago Sky … When he’s away from the court he’s spending time with his dog, Astro. Follow JAXSON on Social Media n @Robinsonjaxx on X n @j4xsonn on Instagram 40 @KentuckyMBB JAXSON ROBINSON 6-6 n 192 n Grad. n Ada, Okla. #2 n G 2023-24 (at Drexel): First player to be named CAA Defensive Player of the Year in three straight seasons … A First Team All-CAA selection … Finished his Drexel career with 186 blocks, which is fifth all-time at DU … Scored 1,081 points and had 732 rebounds … Graduated with a degree in communication … Finished his final season at Drexel averaging 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots … Led the conference in rejections for the third straight year and was fifth in the CAA in re- bounding. 2022-23 (at Drexel): Emerged as one of the top big men in the Colonial Athletic Association …Named the CAA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season … Became only the second Dragon to win the award in consec- utive years … First Team All-CAA selection … Led the CAA in blocked shots (67) and in field-goal percentage (.523) … Was 14th in the nation with 2.23 blocks per game … Finished second in the league in rebounding (8.8) and tied for 13th in scoring with 13.7 points per game … Led the Dragons with 41 steals … Recorded nine double-doubles. 2021-22 (at Drexel): Had a breakout season for the Dragons … Named the CAA’s Defensive Player of the Year … Was a Third Team All-CAA selection … Led the CAA in blocked shots with more than two a game … Named to the CAA Com- missioner’s Academic Honor Roll … Select- ed to represent Great Britain in the World Cup Qualifiers against Greece and Turkey in the summer of 2022. 2020-21 (at Drexel): A member of Drexel’s 2021 Colonial Athlet- ic Association championship team … Came off the bench in 15 games during his fresh- man season on campus … Named to the CAA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll. High School: Graduated from Myerscough College in Preston, England … Was a member of Great Britain’s U20, U18 and U16 teams. Personal: Born Jan. 28 in Nottingham, England … Parents are Sharon and Gerry Williams … Has a brother, Hakim … Graduated from Drexel with a degree in communication … First time he dunked was during a national league game in England at age 14 … Played soccer growing up … Favorite TV show is Outer Banks … Favorite food is barbeque based pizza. Follow AMARI on Social Media n @amxriwillixms on X n @amariwillixms on Instagram @UKSportsNetwork 41 AMARI WILLIAMS 7-0 n 262 n Grad. n Nottingham, England #22 n C Monday Nights from 6-7 p.m. on the UK Sports Network. Mark Pope Radio Show Tune in all season long to the UK Sports Network for official coverage of Kentucky Wildcats Basketball. Visit UKathletics.com/ UKSportsNetwork for radio and TV affiliates in your area. Like us on Facebook and follow us on X and Instagram for complete UK Sports Network coverage of the Cats.Mark Pope KENTUCKY COACHING STAFF44 @KentuckyMBB Mark Pope n University of Kentucky Head Coach P ope, a captain of the University of Kentucky’s 1996 National Championship team, has returned to Lexington as the 23rd head coach of Kentucky’s storied men’s basketball program. Pope is a nine-year head coaching veteran with stops at BYU and Utah Valley, amassing a 187-108 career record. His squads won 20 or more games in six of the last seven seasons and he has made six postseason appearances. “Mark Pope not only brings an impressive record in nine years as a head coach, but also a love of the Univer- sity of Kentucky and a complete understanding of what our program means to the people of our state,” UK AD Mitch Barnhart said at the time of Pope’s hiring. “As a captain on the ‘96 championship team, Mark was a be- loved and respected teammate. As a head coach, he is highly regarded nationally as an innovator. His teams run a unique and dynamic up-tempo offense and they get after it on defense. He is a strong recruiter with in- ternational ties and a person of integrity. “He fully embraces our high ex- pectations and standards and I know that as our fans get reacquainted with Mark, they will be eager to join him on what promises to be an exciting ride.” Pope returns to UK from Provo, Utah, where he com- piled a 110-52 record (.679) during five campaigns at the helm of BYU. He took the Cougars to three post- season appearances, including two trips to the NCAA Tournament, and missed another bid when the 2020 event was cancelled be- cause of the Covid pandemic. Three of his five BYU teams finished the season ranked in the top 20 of the KenPom efficiency ratings. “The University of Ken- tucky is the pinna- cle of coach- ing in college basketball. It’s the definition of blueb- lood program where hanging a banner is the expectation ever year,” Pope said. “Equally as important, UK changed my life forever as a human being. The love and passion I have for this program, this University and the people of the Commonwealth goes to the depth of my soul. “I’m thankful to Dr. (Eli) Capilouto and Mitch Barnhart for this opportunity. I’m proud to be your next head coach and I can’t wait to do this together!” Pope is coming off a 23-11 season in 2023-24. It was BYU’s first season in the Big 12 Conference and the Cougars’ 10-8 league record featured victories over No. 7 Kansas, No. 11 Baylor and No. 24 Iowa State. BYU’s first win in the Big 12, on January 13 at Cen- tral Florida, also marked Pope’s 100th victory as head coach of the Cougars. The Cougars ranked third in the country with 11.1 made 3-pointers per game in 2023-24, and also ranked in the top 10 in assists per game (3rd) and assist-to-turnover ratio (6th). BYU led the Big 12 in scoring at 81.4 points per game. They were ranked as high as No. 12 in the AP Poll after going 12-1 in nonconference action, winning the Vegas Showdown, BYU’s first multi-team event title since 2011. Pope was named to the 2024 Naismith College Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List for his efforts. Pope’s teams also hit the post- season in 2020- 21, finishing with a 20-7 mark and mak- ing BYU’s first appear- ance in the NCAA Tour- nament since 2015. The Cougars were 24-11 in 2021-22 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament. The Cougars captured win No. 60 under Pope in January of ‘22, making him the fastest BYU coach to achieve the mark.University of Kentucky Head Coach n Mark Pope @UKSportsNetwork 45 Pope began his head coaching stint at BYU in the 2019-20 season, tallying a 24-8 record, the most wins for a first-year coach in program history. He finished the season ranked No. 18 in the Associated Press poll and No. 16 in the USA Today/Coaches poll, becoming the first head coach at BYU to conclude the season with a national rank- ing in his first season. The Cougars finished second in the West Coast Conference with a 13-3 record. The Cougars also toppled No. 2-ranked Gonzaga, earning their best win over a ranked opponent inside their home venue in program history. The Covid pan- demic prevented an almost-certain bid to the NCAA Tournament. Pope’s Cougars were statistically among the top offenses in the nation in ’19-20. The Cougars finished the season ranked first in 3-point field goal percentage, second in assist-to-turnover ratio, third in field-goal percentage, fourth in 3-point field goals per game and fifth in assists per game. Following his first season with the Cou- gars, Matt Norlander of CBS tabbed Pope as the best hire of the year. He was also award- ed with the United States Basketball Writers Association District VIII Coach of the Year honor. He was a semifinalist for the Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year. Pope’s first head coaching stint was a four-year term at Utah Valley. Beginning in 2015-16, the Wolverines increased their win total during every season of Pope’s tenure, culminating in a 25-10 overall mark and a runner-up finish in the Western Athletic Con- ference in 2018-19. Utah Valley was 30-2 at home from 2017-19, and the 25 wins in 2019 were a single-season school record. He began his collegiate playing career at the University of Washington, where he was tabbed the 1992 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. After his sophomore season, he transferred to Kentucky, where he appeared in every game of his two-year career with the Wildcats. UK won the 1995 and ‘96 regular-season South- eastern Conference championships, the ’95 SEC Tournament title and the 1996 NCAA Tournament. He averaged 7.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in 69 career games. Pope was named to the All-SEC Tournament Team in 1995, behind a pair of double-doubles in three games, including one in the title game that went to overtime. Pope was selected in the second round of the 1996 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pac- ers. He played professional basketball from 1997-2005, including terms with Indiana, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets. In 2000-01, he started 45 games and helped the Bucks reach the East- ern Conference Finals. Following his playing days, Pope enrolled in medical school at Columbia University and completed two years before returning to basketball. He joined Mark Fox’s staff at Georgia in 2009. He then spent one season as an assistant coach for Jeff Bzdelik at Wake Forest and four seasons at BYU under Dave Rose. The Cougars posted four straight 20- win seasons and advanced to postseason play in each of those four years, including three bids to the NCAA Tournament. His suc- cess as an assistant at BYU was the spring- board to become head coach at Utah Valley. Pope and his wife, Lee Anne, have four daughters, Ella, Avery, Layla and Shay. He is a 1996 graduate of Kentucky with a degree in English.46 @KentuckyMBB Alvin Brooks III n University of Kentucky Associate Head Coach A lvin Brooks III, regarded as one of the nation’s best assistant coaches, joined the Kentucky men’s basketball coaching staff as associate head coach in April of 2024. Prior to arriving at Kentucky, Brooks coached eight seasons at Baylor, serving as both an assistant and associate head coach. The Bears went 194-72 during Brooks’ ten- ure, including a 94-46 record in Big 12 action, 12-5 in NCAA Tournament games and 22-15 against Associated Press top-10 ranked foes. A Houston native, Brooks began his coaching career at the junior college lev- el. He spent two seasons at Arkansas-Forth Smith, helping the Lions to the 2006 NJCAA Division I championship. He then joined the staff at Midland, where he again was on staff for an NJCAA title team in 2007. Brooks ascended to the Division I level when he joined the staff for three seasons at Bradley as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. From there he also was a part of the Sam Houston State (2010-12) and Kansas State (2012-16) staffs before joining forces with Scott Drew at Baylor in 2016. At Kansas State, Brooks was a part of one the best stretches in school history with 79 wins and NCAA Tournament ap- pearances in two the four seasons. He also played a major role in K-State’s first-ev- er Big 12 regular-season title in 2012-13, which included the second-most wins (27) and a tie for the most conference victories (14) in school history. At Baylor, the Bears put together one of the best seasons in program history in 2019- 20. BU finished 26-4 and were projected for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the postseason. The Bears posted 23 straight wins (Big 12 Record) and were ranked No. 1 by the AP for five weeks, the longest stretch for one team since Kentucky was the top- ranked team in 19 straight weeks in 2015. The following season, Baylor earned a No. 1 seed and captured the program’s first national championship. BU capped the season with a 28-2 overall record and a 13-1 mark in Big 12 action on their way to the school’s first-ever conference title. Baylor captured a program-record 11 victo- ries over ranked foes and was a perfect 7-0 against teams ranked inside of the top 10. Three players earned All-America honors with Jared Butler becoming the first con- sensus first-team All-American in program history while also earning Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors. Davion Mitchell swept the National Defensive Player of the Year awards. Capitalizing on Baylor’s success, with Brooks playing the lead role as recruiter, BU hauled in the highest ranked recruiting class in program history in 2021 at No. 4 overall by ESPN. Baylor won the Big 12 Champi- onship again in 2022 to become the third school in Big 12 history to repeat as cham- pions. Baylor had a guard win All-America hon- ors in four-straight seasons (Jared Butler in 2020 and 2021, Davion Mitchell in 2021, MaCio Teague in 2021, James Akinjo in 2022 and Adam Flagler in 2023). The pro- gram’s sustained success saw them become the only team in the nation to be a No. 3 seed or higher in each of the last four NCAA Tournaments and one of just four teams to win a game in the last five NCAA Tourna- ments. The Bears have had seven selections in the NBA Draft, including three-consecutive lottery selections (Mitchell, Jeremy Sochan and Keyonte George) with Brooks on staff. Brooks began his own collegiate playing career at Midland College before transfer- ring to Idaho State. He was an Academic All-Big Sky selection as a senior. Brooks graduated from Idaho State in 2002 with a degree in finance. He earned a master’s degree in athletics administration in 2023. He and his wife, Tiffany, have two children, Alvin IV (AJ) and Austin. He is the son of Lamar head coach Al- vin Brooks II. Brooks II was the director of operations under Kentucky’s Billy Gillisipie from 2007-09.University of Kentucky Associate Coach n Mark Fox @UKSportsNetwork 47 M ark Fox, who has 18 years of collegiate head coaching experience, joined the Kentucky men’s basketball staff as an associ- ate coach in April of 2024. Fox most recently served as the Director of Student-Athlete Relations and NIL Part- nerships at Georgetown University in 2023- 24. Prior to that stint, Fox has been a head coach at Nevada, Georgia and California. Fox and Pope reunite in Lexington, after Fox hired Pope for his first collegiate basket- ball position. Pope served as the Director of Basketball Operations at Georgia in 2009- 10, coincidentally Fox’s first season with the Bulldogs. Owning a career record of 324-263, Fox has directed teams to four regular-season conference titles, five NCAA Tournament appearances and 10 total postseason ap- pearances during his collegiate coaching tenure. In his most recent head coaching stint, Fox led the California program for four seasons. Leading up to his tenure with the Bears, Fox compiled a 123-43 record in his five seasons at Nevada and a 163-133 mark at Georgia. With Nevada, Fox helped the Wolf Pack to four Western Athletic Conference cham- pionships, three trips to the NCAA Tour- nament and a pair of appearances in the College Basketball Invitational. He enjoyed one of the hottest starts for a head coach in Division I history with the Wolf Pack. Fox es- tablished what was then a record for highest winning percentage in a coach’s first three seasons (.818, 81-18). He was tabbed the WAC Coach of the Year three straight sea- sons in 2005, 2006 and 2007 and coached four WAC Players of the Year. Fox was the head coach at Georgia for nine seasons, with the Bulldogs advancing to two NCAA Tournaments and three Na- tional Invitation Tournaments. Yante Maten was the 2018 Associated Press Southeastern Conference Player of the Year after averaging a league-best 19.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Juwan Parker was tabbed the SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year in the same season. Fox guided 15 players to professional careers, including Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who was draft- ed No. 8 overall in 2018 and is a two-time NBA Champion. Caldwell-Pope earned the distinction as the first McDonald’s All-Amer- ican to sign with Georgia in nearly 20 years and he was the 2013 SEC Player of the Year. Furthermore, every senior who played for Fox graduated during his tenure. The Bulldogs amassed four 20-win sea- sons, tied for the most by a head coach in school history. Three of those four 20-win seasons came consecutively from 2014-16, making Fox the only Georgia head coach to win at least 20 games three years in a row. From 2014-17, Georgia won a total of 80 games – the second-winningest four-year stretch in program history – and the Bull- dogs’ 42 SEC wins and 54 home wins over the span are the most ever at the school. Fox served as an assistant coach under Trent Johnson at Nevada and helped the Wolf Pack to its first NCAA Sweet 16 ap- pearance in 2004 prior to taking the reins as head coach. Fox was also an assistant to Tom Asbury at Kansas State from 1994- 2000 and served as an assistant with Lynn Nance at Washington from 1991-93, where he coached Pope to a Pac-10 Freshman of the Year nod. Between his stints at Cal and Georgia, Fox spent the fall of 2018 with USA Basket- ball, serving as an assistant coach to Jeff Van Gundy for the World Cup qualifying team. He also assisted the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Summer League and professional development stints with coaches Brad Ste- vens, Gregg Popovich and Geno Auriemma, among others. Fox currently serves on the Junior Na- tional Men’s Team Committee with Team USA. That group is responsible for selecting coaches and athletes for USA Basketball col- lege-aged competitions, which include FIBA U19 World Cups, FIBA Americas U18 Cham- pionship and the Pan American Games. He played collegiately at Garden City Community College and lettered two sea- sons at Eastern New Mexico. Fox earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Eastern New Mexico and a master’s in sport administration/sports psychology from Kansas. Fox and his wife, Cindy, have two chil- dren, Parker and Olivia.Next >