The new-look Kentucky men’s basketball team has spent the last two months practicing as the Mark Pope era gets underway in Lexington. After being hired in April, assembling a staff, and adding 12 fresh faces to the roster, every second of practice has been vitally important for Pope and his group. But some brief time away is also important.

Due to NCAA rules, a break in summer practice sessions is mandatory. Thursday morning was Kentucky’s final practice until the end of this month. Workouts start back up again on Monday, August 26 — the same day the fall semester begins at UK. That leaves two-plus weeks of free time for the players to enjoy.

Where do they plan to go during that sabbatical and who are they most excited to see? Thanks to a short video posted to social on Friday, 11 of the 12 the Wildcats (sorry, no Kerr Kriisa in this video) told us themselves.

So. G Otega Oweh: “First I’m going back to New Jersey, aka Dirty Jerz. If you know you know… I’m most excited to see my brother. He has a preseason game. I haven’t seen him play in a long time.”

Gr. G Koby Brea: “For break I’m going back home to New York City, gonna spend time with my family, get a lot of love from them and giving them love too. After that I’m gonna be going to the Damian Lillard camp, just keep getting better. Excited for the opportunity. Then we’ll be right back here.”

Sr. F Ansley Almonor: “Three trips. I’m about to go out to Cali for a few days, then I’m going back to New York for a few days, and I’ll be going on a vacation to the Dominican Republic. I’m most excited to see everybody… I’m just excited to see my family and hug them and kiss them and all that.”

Gr. C Amari Williams: “I’m going to Nottingham, England. Back home. Who am I most excited to see? I would say my family, my grandma, my parents.”

Fr. G Collin Chandler: “For the break, I’ll be going back home to Utah. I’m most excited to see my family and just be with them and spend a few weeks with them.”

Fr. G Travis Perry: “For the break I’m going back home, Lyon County, so staying in Kentucky. I’m most excited to see my mom, it’s her birthday today, so Happy Birthday to her, and my oldest sister. She texts me every day so it’s gonna be good to see her again.”

Gr. G Lamont Butler: “Going back home and then I’m taking a four-day trip to Hawaii with my girlfriend. Who am I most excited to see? I most excited to see my family.”

So. C Brandon Garrison: “Where I’m going on break, I’m gonna go home first. Friday I’m gonna leave out for San Juan (Puerto Rico), hit the beach. And then who I’m most excited to see? Probably my family and my mom for real.”

Gr. F Andrew Carr: “I’m going back to Westchester (New York). I’m most excited — sorry mom, I’m probably most excited to see my girlfriend.”

Gr. G Jaxson Robinson: “I’m going home, and I’m most excited to see my parents and my dogs.”

Fr. G Trent Noah: “During the break I’m going to Florida for a few days. And then I’m going home for the rest of the time. I’m most excited to see my golden retriever, Nugget.”

We’ll see you back in Lexington soon, boys.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Three otters and six raccoons were seized after the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Department says they were being held illegally at the KY Wildlife Center.

A complaint made in June is what sparked an investigation. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife says their game wardens visited the owner to follow up on the concern.

According to the Kentucky Wildlife Center’s website, it was founded in 2006 by Karen Bailey.

At the center, they say they help save as many animals as possible while also providing community outreach opportunities such as tours, educational programs and rehabilitator training.

Their website says their goal is when the animals are rehabilitated, they are released back into the wild.

On Thursday, the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Resources said they acted on the complaint made in June regarding the welfare of the animals at the center under Bailey’s care.

Bailey was charged with nine violations of holding protected wildlife without a permit.

By law, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife requires that people who hold a wildlife species for any length of time have the appropriate permits prior to possessing those animals.

They say the animals were taken away and will be cared for by them while the investigation continues. Later, they’ll determine where the animals will go based on available facilities and the animals’ medical records.

WKYT has reached out to the Kentucky Wildlife Center for comment, but their facility is listed as temporarily closed online. We have also requested an interview with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, which said that due to the ongoing case, they can’t comment further.

Copyright 2024 WKYT. All rights reserved.

After starting from scratch with an entire roster overhaul this offseason, Mark Pope may have brought in an underrated squad.

Pope’s first transfer commitment at Kentucky was Drexel big man Amari Williams and that may very well end up paying dividends.

CBS Sports lists the duo of Williams and fellow big man Brandon Garrison as a top-eight big man duo in college basketball.

“Mark Pope’s sharp offensive system requires big men who can pass the rock. That’s a huge piece of Williams’ game. The fifth-year senior out of Drexel gives Pope a smart dribble handoff hub who can whip backdoor dimes or spray it out to Kentucky’s cavalry of 3-point shooters. Garrison can also do a bunch of those things, too. Williams is the vet. Garrison is the young, rising sophomore. Together, Kentucky should be able to have 40 minutes of a real playmaking big man on the floor who also has plenty of defensive chops. Williams’ durability is a real question. He only played 30+ minutes twice last season, so Garrison is clearly poised to play early and often. Don’t be surprised if this is close to a 50-50 split.”

Alongside that big man duo is Andrew Carr, a presumed starter for Mark Pope’s Wildcats. Last season at Wake Forest, Carr averaged 13.5 points and shot 37.5% from three.

247 Sports predicts that Carr will start for Pope and will be at the epicenter of Kentucky’s new-look offense.

“Carr was so good last year for Wake Forest. The 6-foot-10, 220-pound big man is a fantastic play-finisher. He can stretch the floor (37% from downtown) or kill you on the block. Carr rated in the 92nd percentile nationally in post-up efficiency, per Synergy last year. Yes, Kentucky wants to shoot 3s, but you can’t hide a small guard on Carr and expect to get away with it. He’s just too polished offensively, and Carr will chip in defensively as a useful secondary rim protector. Carr also makes his free throws at a high clip and could even get some minutes at the 5 in closing lineups. There’s so much lineup versatility on this Kentucky roster, and Carr is at the epicenter of all of it.”

The Kentucky Wildcats may very well boast one of the top big men rotations from the 4 and 5 positions in the SEC.

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