Otega Oweh potentially returning to Kentucky suddenly has legs we didn't know existed

Otega Oweh has been, by all accounts, the defining Wildcat of Mark Pope's two years in Lexington. Especially in his second year, the senior put up countless memories set to hang in the rafters of Rupp Arena for years to come. His game-saving shot against Santa Clara in the NCAA Tournament was an all-time Kentucky memory in general.

Naturally, it hurt Cats fans to cope with his leaving. Yet, in a sudden bit of early-week shock, Oweh's time at Kentucky may not be over after all. At least, according to a rumor of a rumor from somewhere behind the scenes. We'll take what we can get.

After KSR reported that transfer portal guard Jerone Morton was leaning Kentucky's way, per his own father, Jack Pilgrim highlighted a particularly alarming aspect of his interview regarding the "5-in-5" ruling that's currently up in the air with the NCAA.

A Potential Return For Oweh

"I don't know how they're going to do the fifth year going forward. I heard that if that fifth year passes, then [Otega] Oweh might be coming back..." said Derrick Morton, shockingly. "If he does come back, that's going to probably move Jerone down the line on being able to play."

Breathe, BBN, breathe. We can't be sure if Morton's dad heard anything concrete on his visit; this could simply be an extension of the wishful thinking of Wildcats fans online who have theorized a potential Oweh return since the league starting discussing granting players a fifth year.

All the same, Derrick Morton's concern certainly doesn't seem to be unfounded. Whether or not Kentucky lands Jerone - a springy scoring option off the bench - Oweh's return would undoubtedly be a crucial piece to what Pope is building in his third year.

Sometimes, the best gets are the ones you already have.

A Crucial Piece

If he were both allowed to come back and chose to, Oweh would presumably click back into the three-spot, now alongside Alex Wilkins and Zoom Diallo.

With Malachi Moreno (expectedly) and Ousmane N'Diaye in the frontcourt, Kentucky could end up with their strongest starting lineup of the Pope era yet. All the same, this may throw the ongoing Tyran Stokes recruitment into disarray, and Kentucky clearly isn't ready to quit on the nation's No. 1 overall player.

So, for the time, this thrilling hypothetical remains firmly in the "we'll see" category. All we can do, as painful as it may be, is wait.

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