Kerr Kriisa said it only took Mark Pope two and a half minutes to get him to say yes to come to Kentucky……
Kerr Kriisa said it only took Mark Pope two and a half minutes to get him to say yes to come to Kentucky……
All eyes are on La Familia vs. The Ville late Monday evening at Freedom Hall, but things are still hectic back in Lexington as Kentucky rolls through the summer practice schedule. Entering week seven of eight total weeks with four hours per week allowed by the NCAA, the Cats are learning how to navigate life on campus while also meeting with media for the first time.
Otega Oweh, Andrew Carr, Ansley Almonor, Collin Chandler, Brandon Garrison and Lamont Butler got things started with the first run of interviews, followed by Kerr Kriisa, Travis Perry and Amari Williams — those took place late last week. Up next? Koby Brea, Jaxson Robinson and Trent Noah to wrap up the entire 12-man roster on Tuesday.
Until then, how about a few leftovers as we wait for the opening tip here in Louisville?
A shot-heavy system the players enjoy
Mark Pope has looked to establish a clear offensive identity from day one. Kentucky will push the pace and launch threes in transition while prioritizing off-ball player movement to create scoring opportunities in the halfcourt. Team chemistry is vital to ensure the pieces fit, playing off one another to determine if it will run as a well-oiled machine or sputter.
The early returns? So far, so good.
“I would say how quickly we’ve bonded, that’s one for sure,” Drexel transfer Amari Williams said of what has surprised him in early summer workouts. “Through week six, I feel like we’re closer than anywhere else would be. They say we’ve got a group of older guys, but we’ve got some younger guys, too. The younger guys, you just wouldn’t be able to tell who the younger guys are in practice — we all mold together, understand each other and move the ball.”
That’s music to Pope’s ears because when executed, his system is a thing of beauty. It’s a player-friendly operation that allows everyone to get their fair share of opportunities.
And those opportunities are coming through six weeks of practice.
“You’re not in a square. You make your own reads with your teammates, depending on how the defense plays,” West Virginia transfer Kerr Kriisa said. “You don’t have a coach screaming at you on the sidelines saying, ‘Run horns down, horns up.’ Everything is reads. We’re trying to shoot the ball, we’re really trying to shoot the ball. Guys are putting in the work, extra hours in the gym shooting threes because it’s going to be a big part of our game. It’s super fun, especially when you like shooting threes.
“I don’t know how our bigs are holding up — Amari (Williams) has got to do a lot of rebounding work — but it’s fun.”
Amari Williams finally gets to show off physicality
A three-time conference defensive player of the year, Williams produced plenty during his time at Drexel. Averaging 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.8 blocks per contest in 2023-24, he just wrapped up a First-Team All-CAA campaign before challenging himself with a move to Kentucky for his final season of eligibility.
Here, he hopes to show how much more physical he can be than what he was able to show playing in the Coastal Athletic Association. Williams was good, but he thinks he can be even better without being called for ticky-tack fouls every time down the floor, battling against bigger, tougher competition in the SEC.
“That’s a tough question to ask. In recent years, I wasn’t able to show my physicality because — I don’t want to say the league was different, but it was different,” Williams said. “You back down a big twice and they’re going to start calling charges. That’s something teams did a lot to me in the past in the CAA. Going to the SEC, they say they don’t really have those kinds of calls, so hopefully I’ll be able to be a lot more physical than I was in previous years.”
And he’s not the only one. This may not be a bruising team big-picture, but they’ve got some bruisers to show up when necessary.
