One practice battle is making this UK basketball team stronger. ‘Those guys are awesome.’

ben roberts

Mon, Oct 21, 2024, 12:30 p.m.·10 min read

The scene at the latest Kentucky basketball pro day a couple of weeks ago was a striking one.

When it came time for Mark Pope’s team to break off into position groups for a series of specific shooting drills in front of NBA scouts, what happened next pretty much summed up what spectators should expect from UK’s 2024-25 season.

The two biggest players on the team — Amari Williams and Brandon Garrison — walked over to a side basket in the Memorial Coliseum gym to work with assistant coach Mikhail McLean.

Every other Wildcat — 10 scholarship players in all — stayed right where they were, sticking around on the main court to go through driving, passing and long-range shooting drills.

It was yet another indication of how these Cats expect to play — fast and free with lots of 3s — but even this visual didn’t tell the whole story.

The two bigs on Pope’s first Kentucky team won’t be left out of that freewheeling offensive fun.

It’s no secret that the new UK coach likes to utilize his 5s as key passers within his halfcourt offense, something that was often done to near perfection with Aly Khalifa at BYU last season — a 6-foot-11, 275-pound player who averaged 4.0 assists and just 1.1 turnovers in only 19.4 minutes per game.

That Cougars’ offense frequently flowed through Khalifa, and Pope said recently that the uniquely talented big man — now at Louisville, sitting out this season as a redshirt player — actually changed the way he thought about how post players could be used as passers.

So when it came time to find the bigs for his first UK roster, Pope had that in mind.

And that’s part of the reason both Williams and Garrison were so coveted by Kentucky in the transfer portal. Williams was actually the first transfer to commit to Pope after he got the UK job, and once the head coach found out Garrison was seriously considering the Wildcats, he hopped on a plane almost immediately to meet with him in person and wrap up his pledge.

Sign up for Beyond the Arc

The latest news, analysis and insider information on the UK men’s basketball team delivered right to your inbox. Stay updated on what’s happening in the world of Kentucky basketball with our free newsletter. Sign up here.

When the games begin, expect to see Williams (7-feet tall and 262 pounds) and Garrison (6-10 and 250) well away from the basket, popping off passes to cutters and running the show as if they were point guards.

“And these guys have picked it up,” Pope said. “Like, I’m shocked with how fast they’ve picked up kind of this new way of decision-making as a decision-maker for a 5.”

Williams — a fifth-year senior — said he did similar things at his old school, Drexel, so it wasn’t much of an adjustment this offseason. The speed of the offense — and the general quality of the players around him — has increased, however.

UK practice observers say he’s made plays that defy their preconceived notions of what a center can do, though that skill occasionally has brought overconfidence that’s led to turnovers — something that he’s continued to work on during the preseason.

His new teammates have been impressed.

“Amari can pass the rock,” said Jaxson Robinson, who played alongside Khalifa at BYU last season. “It’s a lot of passes that I don’t think a lot of guards can make, that he makes. He’s almost like our point guard, our second point guard. So it’s been amazing just to see his progress throughout the summer and leading up to this year.”

The presumed starting point guard, Lamont Butler, has been similarly impressed with Williams — “he’s an outstanding passer” — and interjected after talking him up to state that Garrison, still just a sophomore, is a “great passer” as well.

Butler smiled at the thought.

“They could be at the top of the key running our offense,” he said. “I think that helps us a lot. We want to cut now, because we know that they’re going to find us. And they set hard screens and things like that. So it’s going to be a great addition for us. Especially since we’ve got so many shooters. They’re out there diming guys up. If they’re in the post and nobody helps, you know they’re gonna finish. But if people help, we expect them to make the right play, because they can.”

Kentucky forward Brandon Garrison looks to move the ball as center Amari Williams plays defense during the Blue-White Preseason Event at Memorial Coliseum on Friday night.

Doing center things

Just because Williams and Garrison won’t be used as traditional bigs in Pope’s offense doesn’t mean they won’t be counted upon to do those center things.

In fact, with so many 3-pointers expected to be launched this season — the Cats have a goal of putting up 35 per game — someone will need to be there to attempt to collect the misses and prolong the possession.

Both players have already endeared themselves to their new teammates by doing the dirty work that gets them more looks.

“Those guys are awesome. I think they work super hard,” said Andrew Carr, a 6-11 forward who will be among those shooting 3s at a high rate. “I think a big thing for them — they do a great job on the offensive glass. Both of them. They’ve been tipping a bunch of balls out. They’ve been grabbing a bunch of offensive rebounds, which is huge for us, because of how many 3s we are going to take. And the wedging is such an important part for us. It really allows this team to go and do what we do at a high level.

“So when their energy is high, it makes the rest of our lives a whole lot easier.”

Robinson, who played for Texas A&M and Arkansas before two seasons at BYU, knows what SEC basketball looks like. Post players who are long, strong and athletic, tough to battle on the boards.

“Offensive and defensive rebounding — those are two areas we’re going to need them a lot in, especially in a big, physical league like the SEC,” he said. “I love what I’ve seen so far.”

Defense is probably what both of these bigs were known for most coming into Kentucky.

Williams was a three-time league defensive player of the year at Drexel, while Garrison — a former McDonald’s All-American — was one of the best young defenders in the Big 12 as a freshman.

“Amari is very competitive,” Butler said. “Defensively, he’s been awesome for us — blocking shots, guarding 1 through 5, being a big time communicator for us.”

“Brandon, he has so much potential, man,” the point guard continued. “… He’s very physical in the paint. Defensively, he’s highly active, always getting his hands on something, always getting deflections, blocks. He plays with high energy, a high motor.”

Carr grinned at the mention of the post battles those two have engaged in since summer practice began in June, noting that some of the defensive concepts are new to them but that both players have “really tried to embrace learning” from the UK coaching staff.

Garrison saw plenty of high-level opposition last season at Oklahoma State.

Williams is new to this type of competition, but he’s learning against his teammates.

“I would say the guards are a lot more shifty and athletic,” he said. “So just knowing that I can’t press up as much — or kind of time blocks — because they’re smart enough to get around it. So it’s just kind of being more aware of my surroundings, knowing who’s doing what, and just going from there.”

Battles in the post

There has been plenty of positional competition on this Kentucky team. The perimeter battles between Butler and fellow point guard Kerr Kriisa have been ultra-competitive, and Pope’s roster is overflowing with uniquely talented wings.

The matchups between Williams and Garrison, however, have apparently been highly entertaining. And four months’ worth has strengthened both of those players’ skill sets, which has in turn allowed their teammates to open up their own games.

“It’s getting both of us better,” Williams said. “I feel like me and him both know that we can be one of the best frontcourts in the nation. So, you know, just keep batting each other, pushing each other every day, is going to make us one of those. …

“You really don’t know who’s gonna win the matchup that day. So knowing that you got to bring it to practice every day, I feel like that helps both of us.”

Williams is the cagey veteran of the duo. Garrison, in many regards, is still learning. The younger UK center likely has more long-term upside, and being around Williams every day has already helped him realize some of it.

“All the knowledge he’s got, he’s just been pouring it into me,” he said. “Like daily, little by little.”

That’s a good feeling, even when it’s not much fun to see Williams swatting his shot away.

“He’ll get it sometimes, he’ll get a stop. And I’m, like, frustrated with myself, but at the same time, I’ve got to keep pushing,” Garrison said. “That keeps me motivated every day. Just coming in knowing that I’m coming to play against a guy like that. …

“Me actually working on my game and doing different moves, different touches. I feel like that’s been helping my game.”

Kentucky added a big-time paint presence in Brandon Garrison.

Last season, Garrison shot 76% at the rim and 47.2% of his shot attempts were at the rim. pic.twitter.com/UywAk5DM71
— CBB Analytics (@CBBAnalytics) April 30, 2024

It won’t be a surprise if Garrison is ultimately the highest NBA draft pick on this team — whether that’s next year or, perhaps more likely, a season or two later — and his game is still growing at a rapid rate.

Ask around and something else is revealed about that pro day positional breakup — where the two bigs went to one basket and the 10 others stayed put. It could have easily been 11.

Garrison was extremely efficient around the basket last season, but he never attempted a single 3-point shot. The whispers in Wildcats circles say that’s likely to change.

“Yeah, it is true,” Garrison acknowledged. “I’m ready to show the world this year what I can do.”

He added that he would “definitely” be taking some 3-point shots this season and said a major emphasis over the past few months has been building his confidence as a shooter from all over the floor. Perhaps one more perimeter threat for a team already filled with them.

“I feel like this is the best shooting team I’ve ever been a part of,” Williams said. “Probably the best shooting team I’ll ever be a part of. So just having those guys around me, knowing I can kick it out at any moment, and you know they’re gonna make that shot — that’s a good feeling for me.”

It’s a good feeling for Pope, too.

There will surely be some growing pains — missed assignments, miscommunications and mistimed passes — while 12 new teammates adjust to each other and this unique offensive philosophy against outside competition over the first few weeks of the season.

But once his big guys get it down, Pope expects the result to be some entertaining basketball.

“We knew they were talented passers coming in, but expanding their range of how they think about delivering the ball has been great, and they’re making huge progress,” he said. “I think we’re going to love watching these bigs go to work. I really do. I think there’s times where, ‘Wow, I did not see that coming.’ I’m looking forward to that.”