The wait is over, and the message is clear: Otega Oweh is back.
After missing significant time recovering from an injury, Kentucky’s star guard returned to full practice this week, and he wasted no time reminding everyone why he was named the SEC Preseason Player of the Year.
Otega Oweh is feeling "good" and "grateful"
“Yeah, I’m feeling good. Um no restrictions, so that’s a blessing,” Oweh said Tuesday. “I’m just grateful that it was just this type of injury and nothing more… I’m in every drill, every competition rep. So I’m happy.”
His first day back included the now-infamous steal and dunk that Mark Pope described, a moment Oweh admitted was partly about testing his legs. “Yeah, a little bit,” he smiled when asked if he dunked on someone. “Just had to test it to see if I still had my legs… yeah, it’s still there.” While he felt a little sore the next morning, the overriding feeling was joy. “Just being able to, you know, bump and compete with the guys… now being a part of it, it feel good.”
Embracing the player of the year buzz
Oweh also reflected on learning he was named SEC Preseason Player of the Year, an honor he found out about just moments after discussing it with UK trainer Brandon Wells. “I feel like he manifested it,” Oweh laughed. While excited, he emphasized the team’s depth, noting Jaland Lowe’s All-SEC recognition and predicting more Wildcats would earn honors by season's end. “We really have like five, six, seven, eight guys that could really be on that team… by the end of the year, we’re going to have multiple cats on one of these teams.”
Depth and the road ahead
Watching from the sidelines gave Oweh a unique perspective on just how deep this Kentucky team is. “I could really see it like we could go we could play 12 guys like that’s I feel like that’s unheard of in in college basketball,” he observed.
He also praised the rapid development of newcomer Andrija Jelavic and expressed excitement about the eventual return of Jayden Quaintance. “I see Jayden every single day… once we get him back, it’s going to be very, very scary.” For now, Oweh is just happy to be back competing, ready to lead a team he believes can be truly special.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion