There is no more frustrating a player from the early Mark Pope era than Brandon Garrison. At his peak, he was a game-wrecker, leveling a six-block masterpiece in this past season's NCAA Tournament opener against Santa Clara that was a reminder of his original five-star status. But those heights were often met with deep valleys, including an early-season benching for a visible lack of effort that left fans out on Garrison for good.
After two years of the "Brandon Garrison Experience" in Lexington, that rollercoaster has finally pulled back into the station. Garrison, after entering the transfer portal, officially committed to Alabama (per Jonathan Givony) ensuring that Kentucky fans will have a front-row seat to his development as a member of the Crimson Tide.
Therefore, the question becomes: Can Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide do with Brandon Garrison what Mark Pope and the Wildcats didn't?
Tale of the Tape
Garrison’s stats tell the story of a player who teased has elite status without ever fully grasping it. The big scored less this year than last, but his rebounds did tick up a tiny fraction from 3.9 to 4.1. Small improvements like those have been overshadowed by larger inefficiencies since his freshman run with Oklahoma State.
At his best, Garrsion is a super physical interior presence who can dominate a defensive possession, grab loose balls, and finish fiercely around the rim. At his worst? He totally disappears and appears out of place on the court, such as he did against Alabama in the SEC Tournament last year. Garrison had just one point in 16 minutes of play.
The Nate Oats Factor
However, Nate Oats' system may be the best possible change of pace for Garrison. The Crimson Tide play a style that will force the five-man to constantly stay engaged, unable to take time off due to the team's high pace on either end of the floor.
Part of Garrison's struggles may have had to do with Pope constantly pivoting due to injuries but, nonetheless, their union simply didn't work at the end of the day.
Circle the Date
Of course, all of this is laeding up to a rematch between Bama and the Big Blue, with Garrison now on the opposite side. We won't know the exact date until the SEC schedule releases later this year, but we do know it'll take place in Rupp. The Big Blue Nation isn't historically kind to outgoing transfers.
Seeing Garrison in Crimson red will certainly be weird, but more importantly for those of us sticking around in Lexington, it may also be an indicator of where Pope is as an eye for, and developer of, talent.
If Garrison flourishes, it will be a tough pill to swallow for a Kentucky staff that spent two years trying to find the key to his game. But if the inconsistency that Kentucky knows all too well continues, take that as a sign that there was no key to begin with.
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