If you were thrilled by the news that Otega Oweh is returning to Kentucky for another season, imagine how head coach Mark Pope felt.
The Kentucky Wildcats guard and his coach reunited during summer basketball camps at the Joe Craft Center this weekend. In a lighthearted moment captured by UK Sports Network, Oweh, handed a microphone, found Pope and asked him to recount the moment he got the news.
“I was on a plane, and I don’t understand why or how, but the call actually came through,” Pope explained. “Otega called me and said, ‘Coach, let’s do this. I’m coming back.’ I was looking around. I think the pilot was about to throw me out the plane.”
Caught mid-flight, Pope had to raise his voice over the noise just to respond. “OTEGA! I got to call you back later! But just hold that thought!”
Fifteen minutes later, when the two were finally able to talk again, the emotion came pouring out. Pope admitted there were personal reasons for his excitement, but his focus quickly shifted to the player.
“I knew a couple of things,” Pope said. “One, I know how excited you are and how much you want to go play in that league. I know it’s the dream of a lifetime.”
He continued, “It’s super humbling to see you do two things. One, how much you want to get better, and how committed you are to getting better. And secondly, to see how much you understand and appreciate what you have right now. That’s special stuff. Now we’re getting back to work.”
Returning for another season means Oweh must once again pass Kentucky’s demanding summer conditioning test—workouts he admitted are even tougher than those with NBA teams. But for Oweh, it’s all worth it.
“There’s no place I’d rather be,” he said.
With Oweh back in the fold, the Wildcats continue to prepare for what promises to be an exciting 2025–26 season.
