Kentucky men’s basketball coach Mark Pope likes that centers Amari Williams and Brandon Garrison both want to play 40 minutes, but also both understand they have roles that will not let that happen.

“They are both starving to play and they both cheer for each other. It’s really a beautiful thing. Amari has been such an incredible big brother to BG,” Pope said.

Williams, a Drexel transfer, came to Kentucky known for his defensive prowess and passing. He believed Pope and his staff could help develop him into a better all-around player and give him a chance to show that against elite competition.

“Amari Williams is a play starter even at his size. He has a handle, he can drive it, he can pass it,” ESPN analyst Jimmy Dykes said. “He was a three-time defensive player of the year in his conference but he can be an offensive (weapon). He is a legit 7-footer who can create his own one-on-one action. A  7-footer who can handle the ball on the perimeter and open that inside game up is perfect for what Pope needs in his offense.”

If Williams has one problem other than sometimes maybe dribbling too much, it might be that he cares too much. He can get frustrated at himself and it often shows.

“He might care about this more than anybody that I know. Like, he cares so much and he wants to perform well so badly, and he brings so much out of the games. One of the things that he’s working on is moving on to the next play with a whole heart and that’s a challenge when you care as much as he does and our guys do,” Pope said.

Pope has assistant coach Alvin Brooks do a video edit of each player’s body language after each game.

“We actually show our guys following the game when we do our autopsy, one of the edits will show our guys – there’s only body language, it’s only winning body language. Body language where it’s like, ‘Oh, we can be better.’ And so that’s something we pay a lot of attention to and our guys are really working on,” Pope said. “Amari is gonna continue to be great at it.”

Former UK All-American Kenny Walker knew Williams was supposed to be a great shot blocker and rebounder. Williams leads the team in blocked shots (18) and rebounding (9.1 per game) along with scoring 10.2 points per game. He’s also shot almost 57% from the field.

“He has done some things really well and the things that worry me offensively with him can be corrected,” Walker said. “For a big guy, he dribbles the ball a little too much. He is good at initiating the offense and gets assists, but he also leads in turnovers. He has to be better at that.

“He has also had trouble finishing around the rim when they throw it inside to him. Sometimes he dribbles three or four times before getting a shot off. When they throw it inside to him, he has to shoot or take one or maybe two dribbles at most.”

Walker was an explosive jumper. Williams is not and Walker understands he uses his dribble to establish a rhythm, but he has to be quicker.

“He is thinking too much. He just has to be decisive and quick whether he’s going to shoot or pass. But those are things he can do and there’s no doubt in SEC play against all these physical teams that he is going to be a very, very important player for this team.”

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When Kentucky junior Amelia Hassett shoots, UK fans almost expect every shot to go in.

“She does, too, and that’s what makes her dangerous,” Kentucky assistant coach Josh Petersen said. “Mellie is an unbelievably gifted kid in that she can wipe the slate clean in her mind. If she misses one, she has no memory of it at all. If she gets a good look, she is taking it. She takes really good shots, too.”

The 6-3 forward from Australia takes almost 75% of her shots from 3-point range. However, she can hold her own inside because she is averaging almost 10 rebounds per game.

“She has had some big rebounding games. She puts herself in position to work on both ends of the court. She tries really hard and impacts every play,” Petersen said. “Her and (point guard) Georgia (Amoore) bring so much joy to the game. It is infectious.”

In Hassett’s two seasons at Eastern Florida, she averaged 13.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Her final season she averaged 19 points and 12.7 rebounds per game. However, even though she was a junior college All-American, Petersen wasn’t sure how her rebounding would translate to Kentucky.

“Rebounding is energy and effort. I don’t know how well someone will rebound until I know their personality,” Petersen said. “Her dedication to what the team needs is superior.

“She may not be the most athletic or laterally quick kid, but her intention is to always get the ball on both ends. I can’t say I anticipated that or what her game would be, but she has been great.”

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As soon as Lamont Butler went into the transfer portal, Kentucky coach Mark Pope was all over the 6-2 point guard.

“Every time we played San Diego State, we spent the first 48 hours trying to figure out how we were going to not let him take our ball on every single possession. And literally, I lost so much sleep on that and then competing against him,” Pope said about facing Butler when he was coaching at BYU.

Now Butler is going to be remembered for a long time by Kentucky fans after scoring 33 points in a win over Louisville that earned him national player of the week honors.

“If you get to put your name solidly in the all-time history books at the University of Kentucky … I mean, that’s hard to do,” Pope said on his radio show. “And certainly, Lamont did it for sure in a magical way.”

Remember earlier this year Jackson State coach Mo Williams talked about also being impressed with Butler when he watched him play at San Diego State.

“He came from a defensive background at his previous school, so that did not change. And I think when you have a point guard that can (defend) that’s the head of the snake, and he’s aggressive on that ball, making plays for his teammates,” Williams said. “He has a really good body, and has a really great pace about himself.

“That’s the only way you can go deep in the tournament with a point guard, along with their length and their shooting ability.”

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Some transfer portal additions the last two years have not worked for Kentucky, but one that certainly did was kicker Alex Raynor of Georgia Southern.

He was the first Kentucky player to be named Southeastern Conference Special Teams Player of the Year this season and also was named a second team All-American by The Sporting News after making 15-of-16 field goals in 2024 after he made 10-of-11 in 2023. He made 12-of-13 field goals of 40 or more yards at UK including a school record 55-yard kick against Georgia last season.

Raynor, a Lou Groza Award finalist, broke the UK and SEC career records for field goal percentage at 92.6 (25-of-27) in his two years.

“It’s an honor to get awards and is a tribute to how hard we worked as a special teams unit,” Raynor said. “Every year I have kicked I have always found a way to get better and feel like that is what separates me from the rest of the field. There is always little stuff you can fix and work on.”

Raynor’s favorite UK memory was beating Florida in 2023.

“I grew up a Florida State fan. Both my parents were there and my dad played there,” Raynor said. “I always hated the Florida Gators, so beating them was pretty nice.”

Raynor’s goal is to become a starting kicker in the NFL, something he knows is easier said than done.

“I am going to do everything in my power to get there,” said Raynor, who is in Florida training. “Until August I had never talked to an agent and now I have signed with one after talking to multiple agents. I had a great two years at Kentucky. It was everything and even more than I thought it would be. Playing at the highest level is any kid’s dream.”

Raynor also did his part to give back. He worked with the Scott County Humane Society trying to get pets adopted and visited the UK Children’s Hospital weekly during the season with teammates Josh Kattus and Marques Cox.

“Going room to room and helping put a smile on a kid’s face and signing a football or something was easy for me to do, but meant a lot to those kids,” Raynor said.

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Former UK All-American Jack Givens has been refreshingly honest with his analysis on the UK Radio Network and that includes him also being surprised by coach Mark Pope’s early success.

“I think everybody has been way surprised by the guy,” Givens said. “We just didn’t know a lot about Mark when he was hired and if you tell me he was your first pick, I don’t think so. After the choice was made, there were a lot of choice words coming from fans.

“The only thing I didn’t want in that next hire as a fan and former player was if he really wanted to be here or did we pay him the most money. We just got through that situation and I didn’t want to go through that again. I just didn’t want to pay anybody that much money just to be here if he didn’t really want to be here.”

Givens, the 1978 Final Four MVP, believes UK sells itself and should not have to “buy” a coach.

“Mark would have crawled from Utah to Lexington to be in this position. He loves the university and he loves the position he is in. I am good with that, but how does Mark get the players to buy into that?” Givens said. “How does he go to Koby Brea, who everybody in the country wanted, and convince him to come to UK?

“All of these guys on this team are of the mindset that I have to prove every night that I belong here and I deserve to wear the blue and white. Every guy on the team believes that. They want to be here.”

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Quote of the Week: “We are trying everything. It’s a work in progress. My biggest thing is I gotta find a way to get coach into Rupp next year. He is so iconic and deeply loved by BBN. We gotta get him back in the gym,” Kentucky coach Mark Pope on College Hoops Today with Jon Rothstein, on a home-and-home series with St. John’s and coach Rick Pitino.

Quote of the Week 2: “For me, I’m here. I’m recruiting as hard as I can to get this thing back right. As I said I can’t control what others say, but for me, I’m here,” UK associate coach Vince Marrow on rumors North Carolina was pursuing him.

Quote of the Week 3: “He’s a multi-year all-conference player in his former conference. Probably the best player on his team for the last couple of years. He knew he was gonna come here and come off the bench. He was like, ‘I don’t care. I want to come to Kentucky. I want to put on this jersey. And I want to be the best guy coming off the bench, the best guy in the locker room, come bang shots when we need them. Come make toughness plays.’ It’s hard to find guys like that,” Kentucky coach Mark Pope, on Ansley Almonor.