3 keys for Mark Pope’s Kentucky basketball team heading into 2024-25 season

LEXINGTON — Regardless of how things shake out on the court in 2024-25, Kentucky basketball’s upcoming season will be one for the ages.

That’s because, for the first time since the end of the 2008-09 campaign, someone other than John Calipari is guiding the program. Mark Pope, an alum and a team captain of the 1996 squad that won the national title, is tasked with returning the Wildcats to glory.

It begins Nov. 4, when UK hosts Wright State at Rupp Arena.

But for the season to be defined by more than merely serving as Pope’s debut campaign as UK’s coach, here are three keys for the 2024-25 Kentucky basketball squad with barely a month before the opener:

Kentucky basketball must find right lineups

Coach Mark Pope and guard Jaxson Robinson are in their first seasons with Kentucky. Both were with BYU last season. Robinson is among the favorites to start at guard.

Pope and his staff can mix and match various starting fives as much as they want prior to the season. They can tinker after the season tips off to their heart’s delight. But at some point, UK will need to decide the five it will call upon to set the tone at the beginning of each game. Options abound. According to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, who was allowed to attend Kentucky’s Tuesday practice in person, here are the early favorites to earn starting jobs: Lamont Butler, Koby Brea and Jaxson Robinson at the guard spots, Andrew Carr and Amari Williams at the forward positions. If that group ends up as the starting five, that leaves plenty of talent off the bench, including Ansley Almonor, Brandon Garrison, Kerr Kriisa and Otega Oweh — as well as whatever meaningful minutes Collin Chandler, Trent Noah and Travis Perry can contribute in their first year of college.

Winning battle on the boards, especially offensively, a must for 3-point-happy Cats

Assistant coach (and offensive coordinator of sorts) Cody Fueger has told anyone who will listen his goal for the 2024-25 Wildcats is that they average 35 3-point attempts per…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/3-keys-mark-popes-kentucky-091655941.html

Author : The Courier Journal

Publish date : 2024-10-03 09:16:55

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