Sometimes you learn more about a player during a bad week than you do in a good month.
Earlier this week, Brandon Garrison received his first real wake-up call as a Wildcat. After a lazy turnover followed by an even lazier effort getting back on defense, Mark Pope called a timeout and delivered a blunt message: “Go sit down.”
Garrison didn’t play another second of the first half—or the second—against UNCC. There was no spin, no sugarcoating. Just accountability.
Garrison could have sulked. He could have let frustration linger or allowed outside noise to creep in.
Instead, he went to work.
How Brandon Garrison turned a message into a statement
After Kentucky’s win over Indiana, Pope shared a practice moment that could become program lore if this season reaches its potential.
“There were 100 reasons why BG could have gone to the corner and complained to a teammate or called out to coaches,” Pope said. “But due to what’s inside him… he showed up to practice. On his own, he won every sprint, outsprinted every guard, every single person. I didn’t tell him to do that. I did not pre-prep him to do that. That was just his response.”
That response carried over to game night.
Garrison finished with six points, five rebounds, and two blocks in 21 minutes against Indiana, but the box score undersells his impact. He anchored the paint, battled relentlessly on the glass, and helped turn Indiana’s drives into rushed, contested attempts.
When asked about the benching, Garrison showed the same maturity he played with.
“It’s just a part of basketball. I made a mistake,” he said. “I feel like I handled it the right way. I didn’t let it bring me down. I came out and responded well.”
And he did—battling harder than he has in most of his Kentucky appearances.
The Rupp Arena crowd noticed, erupting with every hustle play.
“BBN’s always there for us,” Garrison said. “But it was amazing tonight—loud. They always show out for us.”
His favorite moment of the night?
“I’ll say the offensive rebound,” he said. “Just because our guys support each other, have our backs. After the rebound, we came out with a big bucket.”
Pope, navigating the balance between winning now and developing his roster, didn’t downplay what the night meant.
“Our job is to win,” he said. “But in the process, watching guys grow is pretty awesome. I was really proud of BG tonight.”
If this is the version of Brandon Garrison Kentucky gets moving forward, that early-season benching may end up being one of the defining moments of the year.
