< Previous38 n @KentuckyMBB KENTUCKY BASKETBALL 2024-25: Appeared in 24 games during debut season … Averaged 2.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game … Had eight games with three or more rebounds … Scored four points in eight min- utes in NCAA Tournament win over Illinois … Tallied four points and a season-high two assists in SEC Tournament against Alabama … Snared six rebounds and posted four points in SEC Tournament game vs. Okla- homa … Scored seven points and collected six boards on the road at Texas … Was key in home win over Tennessee, finishing with a season-best 11 points while hitting three 3s in the game … He became just the third play- er in program history to connect on three or more 3s off the bench against an AP Top 5 opponent … Scored first points of career on a 3-pointer vs. Jackson State … Made colle- giate debut during season-opener vs. Wright State … Named to the SEC First-Year Aca- demic Honor Roll. High School: Was inducted into Harlan County Public Schools Frank Brittain Academic and Athlet- ic Hall of Fame in May of 2025 … Finished his high school career as the state of Kentucky’s fifth all-time leading scorer in high school basketball history … Scored 3,707 career points … That total is a school and county record … A four-star prospect ranking as high as No. 108 by 247Sports, hit 102 of 237 (43.03%) from 3-point range as a senior … Was tabbed a first-team all-state selection by both the Louisville Courier Journal and the Lexington Herald Leader, and he was the 13th Region Player of the Year by the Ken- tucky Association of Basketball Coaches as a senior … As a junior, he averaged 26.5 points and 12.8 rebounds per game while connecting on 66 3-pointers … Tabbed a second-team all-state selection by the Lou- isville Courier Journal. Personal: Born Dec. 28 in Corbin, Kentucky … Parents are Stacy and Dondi Noah … Has a sister, Emerysn … Grandfather, Charles “Perky” Bryant, played football at Kentucky from 1961-63 … Lists his most memorable mo- ment as a basketball player as making it to the state finals as a senior … Chose No. 9 because that is the championship number the team is chasing … His favorite food is chicken wings … Enjoys playing video games and hanging with his family and friends away from the court … Dunked for the first time in his high school gym as an eight grader … Must pray before games … His parents have influenced his life the most. Follow TRENT on Social Media n @trentnoah2_ on X n @trentnoah2 on Instagram Click Here for More Information on Trent TRENT NOAH 6-5 n 220 n So. n Harlan, Ky. #9 n F2024-25: NABC All-District First Team selection … Voted second team All-SEC by the league’s coaches … Scored in double figures in each of the team’s first 26 games, and 33 overall … The 26-game double-figure scoring game streak was the longest of any SEC player to begin the season … Set career-best marks in points per game (16.2), rebounds per game (4.7), assists per game (1.7), steals per game (1.6), blocks per game (0.5), free-throw percentage (.776), total 3s made (27), total free throws made (149), total field goals made (204), total re- bounds (168), assists (62), blocks (19), steals (57) and points (584) … Became a 1,000-point scorer during the SEC Tournament … Led the team in scoring and steals … Paced the team in scoring in 16 games … Had one dou- ble-double … Generated three or more steals in seven games … Became the first player this century to hit two game-winning shots against the same team (Oklahoma on the road and in the SEC Tournament) … Charted 13 points, four rebounds and two steals in the Sweet 16 … Had 15 points and four boards vs. Illinois in the NCAA Tournament … Scored 20 points, had eight rebounds and dished out a career-high six assists in the win over Troy to open the NCAA Tournament … Named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll. 2023-24 (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. 2022-23 (at Oklahoma): Appeared in 28 games and made nine starts as a freshman. 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 Player of the Session. Personal: Born June 21 in Union, New Jersey … Parents are Tania and Henry Oweh … Has three sib- lings, Kaylen, Odafe and Natasha … Brother, Odafe, is a linebacker for the Baltimore Ra- vens … Major is communication … He chose No. 00 because it represents his name. Follow OTEGA on Social Media n @OtegaOweh on X n @otegaoweh on Instagram Click Here for More Information on Otega OTEGA OWEH 6-4 n 220 n Sr. n Newark, N.J. #00 n G @UKSportsNetwork n 39 KENTUCKY BASKETBALL40 n @KentuckyMBB KENTUCKY BASKETBALL 2024-25 (at Miami (OH)): Appeared in 30 games for the RedHawks and averaged 6.5 points and 3.7 rebounds … Had 21 blocked shots on the season … Tallied 15 points and eight rebounds in the opening game of the Mid-American Conference Tour- nament against Eastern Michigan … Scored 12 points in a road win at Buffalo … Went for 11 points and five rebounds in home win vs. Northern Illinois … Scored 14 points and tied career high with three blocks vs. Western Michigan … Posted a career-high 19 points vs. Sacred Heart. 2023-24 (at Miami (OH)): Played in 26 games and made 11 starts as a freshman … Scored in double-figures in five games … Averaged 6.0 points and 3.0 re- bounds per appearance … Had 15 points in a home win over Central Michigan … Scored a season-high 17 points against Bowling Green … Swatted three shots in win versus Wilberforce, also posting 10 points, six re- bounds and four assists … Made college de- but at Evansville … Went 15-33 (.455) from behind the 3-point line for the season. High School: Played at Lexington Catholic High School where he was named the 2023 Lexington Player of the Year by the Lexington Her- ald-Leader and was a finalist for Mr. Ken- tucky Basketball … Was named the 11th Region’s Player of the Year as a senior, aver- aging 17.9 points and 8.7 rebounds for the District 43 champs while serving as a team captain. Personal: Enjoys playing NBA 2k and MLB the Show … Favorite food is Pizza … First car he drove was a Chevy Impala … Dunked for the first time when he was 14 years old … If he could have one superpower it would be the ability to fly … Favorite former Kentucky player is John Wall … Son of David and Sherri … Born March 26. Follow REECE on Social Media n @ReecePotter18 on X n @reece_potter35 on Instagram Click Here for More Information on Reece REECE POTTER 7-1 n 230 n Jr. n Lexington, Ky. #33 n F2024-25 (at Arizona State): Started all 24 games in which he played with the Sun Devils, averaging 9.4 points, 7.9 re- bounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.5 assists while shooting 52.5 percent from the field … Big 12 All-Freshman Team … Big 12 All-Defen- sive Team … Named to the National Defen- sive Player of the Year Watch List in early February … Set Arizona State freshman records for total blocked shots (63) and re- bounds per game (7.9) despite missing the latter portions of the season after suffering a torn ACL on Feb. 23 … Only player in the country to reach a combined 90 steals and blocks in fewer than 25 games … Had 11 games scoring in double figures and post- ed six double-doubles … Led Sun Devils in blocks in 19 games and in rebounds 16 times … Scored 18 points at Kansas State … Tallied a season-high 20 points against UCF on Jan. 14, also blocking five shots … Named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Deb. 23 following breakout performance vs. UMass in which he scored 19 points to go along with 11 re- bounds and four blocks … Posted first career double-double against St. Thomas, scoring 13 points while corralling 14 rebounds … Swatted a season-high six shots in his colle- giate debut vs. Idaho State. High School: Consensus five-star prospect … McDonald’s All-American … Averaged 17.3 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 1.4 steals and 1.4 as- sists per game as part of the Overtime Elite high school league as a junior … After reclas- sifying from the class of 2025 to the class of 2024, Quaintance averaged 9.9 points, 6.2 boards, 1.6 blocks and 1.4 assists on the Nike grassroots circuit in the summer of 2023 … Represented Team USA at the 2023 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, winning a gold medal. Personal: Son of Carla and Hammin … Born July 11 … Siblings are Jia, Jasmin, Jace, Jaxson and Jo- siah … Father, Haminn, played basketball at Kent State and Jacksonville … Enjoys watch- ing anime and playing chess in spare time … Favorite chain restaurant is Chipotle … Favorite movie is Into the Spider-Verse … Fa- vorite TV show is One Piece … Dunked for the first time when he was 13-years-old … Favor- ite basketball player is Kyrie Irving … Favorite former Kentucky player is Anthony Davis. Follow JAYDEN on Social Media n @qjayhoops on X n @qjay_21 on Instagram Click Here for More Information on Jayden JAYDEN QUAINTANCE 6-10.5 n 255 n So. n Cleveland, Ohio #21 n F @UKSportsNetwork n 41 KENTUCKY BASKETBALL2024-25: Played in two games on the year … Made Kentucky debut vs. LSU in home finale … Saw action in NCAA Tournament first round win over Troy. High School: All-District and First Team All-Region at Madisonville North Hopkins High School … Averaged 12.5 points and 11.5 rebounds as a high school senior in 2021-22 … Reached the Elite Eight of the KHSAA High School State Tournament in 2019. Personal: Born Aug. 22 in Evansville, Indiana … Parents are Brandon and Heather … Has two sib- lings, Jordan and Kaylee … Sister Kaylee was an All-American in softball at the University of Alabama … Attended Madisonville North Hopkins High School where he was top 10 in his class … Favorite basketball memory is playing in the state tournament at Rupp Arena … Favorite food is steak … Favorite TV show is Game of Thrones … Favorite former Kentucky player is Devin Booker. Follow ZACH on Social Media n @z_tow12 on X n @z_tow20 on Instagram ZACH TOW 6-5 n 220 n Sr. n Madisonville, Ky. #20 n F 42 n @KentuckyMBB KENTUCKY BASKETBALL Click Here for More Information on Zach2024-25 (at Tulane): Started 28 of the 33 games played during his freshman campaign … Logged 14 dou- ble-figure scoring efforts and shot 41.2 per- cent from 3-point range … Had 16 points and eight rebounds in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament against Memphis … Put up a season-high 24 points in the regular-season finale vs. UAB … Scored 14 points and added four rebounds and four assists vs. Charlotte … Posted 13 points and tied season-high with 10 re- bounds vs. East Carolina, his first career double-double … Finished with 19 points in win over Dillard … Pitched in 19 points vs. Southeastern Louisiana … Stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points, eight rebounds and four steals vs. New Orleans … Made college debut vs. Louisiana Christian. High School: Played high school basketball at Lafayette Christian Academy … Louisiana Sports Writ- ers Association Class 4A All-State selection … During his junior campaign, Williams av- eraged 25.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game … Lafayette Christian was the state runner-up during Williams’ sopho- more season … Played for Houston Hoops at Peach Jam in 2023, averaging 8.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in five games. Personal: Parents are Greg and Kelen … Has a brother named Greg … Born Nov. 22 … Nickname is “K3” … Is interested in mental health thera- py … Favorite basketball memory is scoring the most points in his high school’s history … Brother, Greg, played basketball at St. John’s and Louisiana … Enjoys playing NBA 2K, NCAA Football and Fortnite … Favorite mov- ies are Lemonade Mouth and Let it Shine … Favorite basketball players are Steph Curry and Jalen Williams … Favorite former Ken- tucky player is Devin Booker … Cites word searches as an off-the-court talent. Follow KAM on Social Media n @KamWilliams_3 on X n @kammie1k on Instagram Click Here for More Information on Kam KAM WILLIAMS 6-8 n 205 n So. n Lafayette, La. #3 n F @UKSportsNetwork n 43 KENTUCKY BASKETBALLKENTUCKY COACHING STAFFM ark Pope, a captain of the University of Kentucky’s 1996 Na- tional Championship team, returned to Lexington as the 23rd head coach of Kentucky’s storied men’s basketball program in April of 2024. In 10 seasons as head coach, with stops at BYU and Utah Valley before coming to Kentucky, Pope has amassed a career record of 211-120. His squads have won 20 or more games in seven of the last eight seasons and he advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, his first at the helm of the Wildcats. Kentucky went 24-12 overall in his inaugural season at his alma mater. Included in those victories were eight against As- sociated Press Top 15 opponents, tying Indiana (1992- 93) and Duke (1978-79) for the most in a single season in collegiate basketball history. Five of the eight wins were against top 10 foes, setting a new program record. The Cats themselves ranked in- side of the AP Top 25 for the duration of the sea- son and finished the year ranking No. 12 overall. With a win over No. 6 Florida on Jan. 4, Pope joined Adolph Rupp as the only coach- es in program history to win each of their first three matchups vs. AP Top 10 teams. He did it in dramatic fashion as well. Pope and his squad overcame a 16-point halftime deficit to outlast No. 7 Gonzaga on Dec. 7, 2024. It matched the largest halftime hole overcome in program history. Making the wins over AP op- ponents even more impressive, the squad captured only one win over a top 15 team at full strength as the sea- son was plagued with injuries. That victory was a stunning come-from-be- hind victory over No. 6 Duke in the third game of the season. The Wildcats downed Troy and Illinois to reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. They became the first team in more than 20 years with zero returning points from the previous season to reach at least the second weekend of the tournament. Kentucky finished the season ranking in the top 10 in KenPom of- fensive efficiency, it ranked seventh in the nation in points per game and set a program record with 341 made 3s. Furthermore, six play- ers averaged double-digit scoring for the first time in school history. To cap off a historic season, the Cats had two play- ers (Koby Brea and Amari Williams) hear their names called in the 2025 NBA Draft. Brea went No. 41 overall to the Phoenix Suns, while Williams ended up with the Celtics. Lamont Butler, Andrew Carr and Jaxson Robinson all signed free-agent deals with NBA squads. Pope returned to UK from Provo, Utah, where he compiled a 110-52 record (.679) during five campaigns at the helm of BYU. He took the Cougars to three postseason appearances, in- cluding two trips to the NCAA Tournament, and missed another bid when the 2020 event was cancelled because of the Covid pandemic. Three of his five BYU teams finished the season ranked in the top 20 of the KenPom efficiency ratings. Pope went 23-11 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 Kan- sas, No. 11 Baylor and No. 24 Iowa State. BYU’s first win in the Big 12, on Janu- ary 13 at Central 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 ra- tio (6th). BYU led the Mark Pope n University of Kentucky Head Coach 46 n @KentuckyMBB KENTUCKY BASKETBALL 46 n @KentuckyMBB@UKSportsNetwork n 47 KENTUCKY BASKETBALL 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 postseason in 2020-21, finishing with a 20-7 mark and making BYU’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament 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, mak- ing him the fastest BYU coach to achieve the mark. 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 colle- giate playing career at the University of Wash- ington, where he was tabbed the 1992 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. After his sophomore season, he trans- ferred to Kentucky, where he appeared in every game of his two-year career with the Wildcats. UK won the 1995 and ‘96 regu- lar-season Southeastern Conference cham- pionships, 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. University of Kentucky Head Coach n Mark PopeNext >