Otega Oweh delivered a major offseason boost to Kentucky and head coach Mark Pope by withdrawing from the 2025 NBA Draft and committing to return for his senior season. His decision, made just hours before the NCAA’s underclassman withdrawal deadline in May, stabilizes a Wildcats roster aiming for a deep NCAA Tournament run.
Pope vividly recalled the moment he got the call.
“I was on a plane, and somehow the call came through,” Pope said. “Otega called and said, ‘Coach, let’s do this. I’m coming back.’ I looked around—felt like the pilot might throw me off the plane. I just said, ‘Otega! I gotta call you back, but hold that thought.’”
Fifteen minutes later, Pope returned the call and got the confirmation that brought him to tears.
“He said he’s coming back. I broke down,” Pope shared. “I know how much he dreams of the NBA, so it was humbling to see his commitment to improvement and how much he values what we’re building here. That’s special stuff.”
Oweh was widely projected as a potential 2025 NBA Draft pick. The 6-foot-4, 212-pound guard averaged a team-best 16.2 points per game last season, along with 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals. He shot 49.2% from the field and 35.5% from three-point range, earning second-team All-SEC honors after transferring from Oklahoma.
“He was super hyped—until he heard about the conditioning test on the first day of summer workouts,” Pope joked. “Then he said, ‘Whoa, coach. Maybe I need to go back to the NBA.’”
With Oweh back, Kentucky is poised to be a top-10 team heading into the 2025–26 season. CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish currently ranks the Wildcats at No. 12 in his updated Top 25 and 1.
