Garrison a closer look.

KYFOSSIL

All-American
Jan 13, 2005
7,440
9,673
62
I just rewatch the game and then I looked at the stats as well and everybody that's ragged on Garrison. Didn't really give him a fair look today. Get eight points five rebounds one assist one turnover one steel one block it was an earth shattering, but he definitely contributed. I do think Moreno will be the better player this year, but he showed some weak hands and not real explosiveness to the hoop when he did get the ball he had a solid game too with five points nine rebounds one block and only one turnover although I feel like you had more than one. I'm not a huge Garrison fan, but I think he's getting a bit of a Raw deal from some of the fans here.
 

gonefishin

Senior
Jul 7, 2025
154
459
63
I understand his stat line was decent but there is also the eye test. He only had 1 turnover but he just looks like he is close to committing more lots of times. His first pass of the game from the top of the key was an overhead two handed rocket to Mo who was still trying to seal/post in the lane. It got deflected but damn, there was no way Mo was catching that.
He seems like a great young man, he battles and even has a little Magloire in him where he will knock the sh** out of someone.
But I just have a hard time trusting his decision making in the game whether he is posting up or passing from the top of the key.
I think Jelly has a way higher ceiling and should be logging more of his minutes.
But I know Pope loves Garrison and is loyal to him.
 

FFWhite

All-American
Dec 20, 2006
26,535
7,677
98
Garrison just seems terrible in the pick and roll. He doesn’t make himself a good target when he rolls. He turns away from the passer. The light could come on but he is not a high basketball IQ guy.
 

kybassfan

Heisman
Jul 1, 2005
20,032
16,368
113
One game with these players…….. Just sayin. And it wasn’t that bad.

Everyone who thinks he has reached his peak raise your hands We just want to know who you are.
 
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*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
42,831
76,123
113
I just rewatch the game and then I looked at the stats as well and everybody that's ragged on Garrison. Didn't really give him a fair look today. Get eight points five rebounds one assist one turnover one steel one block it was an earth shattering, but he definitely contributed. I do think Moreno will be the better player this year, but he showed some weak hands and not real explosiveness to the hoop when he did get the ball he had a solid game too with five points nine rebounds one block and only one turnover although I feel like you had more than one. I'm not a huge Garrison fan, but I think he's getting a bit of a Raw deal from some of the fans here.
I agree, Garrison gets unwarranted hate IMO. He’s not a Cousins or AD, but he contributes most games while playing very good perimeter defense for a big man. I’d like to see him guard the rim better, but he rebounds decently well. I think Moreno will be very good as the year goes on.
 
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storm1507

All-American
Sep 24, 2022
1,554
6,901
103
Garrison is who he is. A solid college player. I think we could have gotten a better player to replace him n transfer portal if we had let him go.
Uh, we did get a better player (JQ) and kept Garrison. I was hoping to see that Garrison had a light bulb moment during the off season, but so far not seen it. For now, he and Moreno can hold down the 5 spot. Waiting.............
 
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gonefishin

Senior
Jul 7, 2025
154
459
63
One game with these players…….. Just sayin. And it wasn’t that bad.

Everyone who thinks he has reached his peak raise your hands We just want to know who you are.
Whoa, who said he has peaked. Simply stating that his strengths do not really fit what Pope likes his big man to do does not mean anyone thinks he has peaked. That is some strange reading comprehension.
Most notably his passing, whether he is bringing the ball up the court or operating at the top of the key. I have very little trust in his reads and passing ability.
I think he is a great young man, and he will improve as a player. I just happen to think he is not a great fit for what pope asks his bigs to do.
 

Phil_The_Music2

Heisman
Nov 29, 2010
3,051
12,435
113
Whoa, who said he has peaked. Simply stating that his strengths do not really fit what Pope likes his big man to do does not mean anyone thinks he has peaked. That is some strange reading comprehension.
Most notably his passing, whether he is bringing the ball up the court or operating at the top of the key. I have very little trust in his reads and passing ability.
I think he is a great young man, and he will improve as a player. I just happen to think he is not a great fit for what pope asks his bigs to do.
I agree with this. He's a fine player for any other system but not a great fit for this one.
 

kybassfan

Heisman
Jul 1, 2005
20,032
16,368
113
Whoa, who said he has peaked. Simply stating that his strengths do not really fit what Pope likes his big man to do does not mean anyone thinks he has peaked. That is some strange reading comprehension.
Most notably his passing, whether he is bringing the ball up the court or operating at the top of the key. I have very little trust in his reads and passing ability.
I think he is a great young man, and he will improve as a player. I just happen to think he is not a great fit for what pope asks his bigs to do.
Couple things. First you aren’t the only poster in the thread. Yeah, it kinda works that way. It’s a comprehension thing Second, Pope doesn’t seem to agree with what you think he thinks. His reads and passing will improve. If you think he will improve, you’d know that. What Pope expects from this group will be different than last.
 

KentuckyCat420

Heisman
Sep 16, 2006
37,969
25,217
72
I don’t mind Garrison on offense, he rarely really hurts us there.

He’s quite possibly the most useless defender I’ve ever witnessed for a guy with his size and athleticism though. He’s also a terrible rebounder for a guy who has all the athletic attributes to be a good one.

His inability to rotate over and have any kind of effect protecting the basket makes him unplayable, IMO.

Moreno is raw as hell but understands that he’s very big and uses it to his advantage.

I’m just tired of watching Garrison’s never ending identity crisis on the basketball court.
 

TreyzAllDay

Junior
Nov 12, 2019
131
353
63
Truth is Garrison was mediocre at best at OkSt and has been the exact same here. Anything else is just noise. Seems like a great kid and I’ll always pull for him but he’s a very average basketball player and and that’s putting it as politely as I can.
 

Vek96

All-Conference
Jul 4, 2025
1,638
3,400
113
I don’t mind Garrison on offense, he rarely really hurts us there.

He’s quite possibly the most useless defender I’ve ever witnessed for a guy with his size and athleticism though. He’s also a terrible rebounder for a guy who has all the athletic attributes to be a good one.

His inability to rotate over and have any kind of effect protecting the basket makes him unplayable, IMO.

Moreno is raw as hell but understands that he’s very big and uses it to his advantage.

I’m just tired of watching Garrison’s never ending identity crisis on the basketball court.
Honestly, you make some good points. Hopefully, Garrison improves.
 
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Jaime Chitwood

Sophomore
Feb 25, 2025
99
113
33
I don’t mind Garrison on offense, he rarely really hurts us there.

He’s quite possibly the most useless defender I’ve ever witnessed for a guy with his size and athleticism though. He’s also a terrible rebounder for a guy who has all the athletic attributes to be a good one.

His inability to rotate over and have any kind of effect protecting the basket makes him unplayable, IMO.

Moreno is raw as hell but understands that he’s very big and uses it to his advantage.

I’m just tired of watching Garrison’s never ending identity crisis on the basketball court.
Agree with most of this. He’s not here to protect the rim and rebound. He’s familiar with the system and offers a different skill set than his replacement.
 

Crestcat

Junior
Sep 5, 2025
130
248
43
I'm going to have the same problem with Garrison that I had with Williams. With his physical attributes it's always going to look like he could do more.
 

JonathanW2

Junior
Aug 6, 2025
160
235
43
I am (ever since early last year) harder on Garrison than most, mostly because he is a bad rebounder for a C. But other than the rebounding, he's a solid player. After 2 games he is making 80% of his shots averaging 10ppg in just 20.5mpg, 100% of his FTs, 5 assists, same # steals as TOs. But his rebounding hasn't improved (6.7 reb-per-30min last year, & 6.6 so far this year).
 

Runt#1969

All-American
Dec 13, 2010
20,635
7,753
113
Garrison is there to help the others learn and find a role in the system. He's a solid contributor. Enforcer type, and with Mo D, we should be grateful to have him as such. He doesn't deserve the fans negativitiy. I think he's going to have some really good games for us, expect good things from him in the Louisville game.
 

theBlues

All-Conference
Oct 18, 2025
857
1,852
93
Garrison played great against Valpo. 4/4 from the field and 4/4 from the field with several assists.
 
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theBlues

All-Conference
Oct 18, 2025
857
1,852
93
Williams-Garrrison is better than Garrison-Moreno.
JQ is expected to greatly elevate the 5 spot.
Williams-Garrison might be better than Garrison-Moreno but by the end of the year, will Williams-Garrison be better than Moreno-Garrison?
 

Skyguyb27

All-American
Feb 12, 2008
4,408
7,318
113
I don’t mind Garrison on offense, he rarely really hurts us there.

He’s quite possibly the most useless defender I’ve ever witnessed for a guy with his size and athleticism though. He’s also a terrible rebounder for a guy who has all the athletic attributes to be a good one.

His inability to rotate over and have any kind of effect protecting the basket makes him unplayable, IMO.

Moreno is raw as hell but understands that he’s very big and uses it to his advantage.

I’m just tired of watching Garrison’s never ending identity crisis on the basketball court.
I disagree, he does hurt us on the offense side. He is a ball stop, slow to read and make decisions. For his size you would think he would have more blocks and rebounds and help side defense since we are discussing it. I hope the light comes on for him. There is no hate for him. You can’t really improve the thinking part sometimes. Poythress frustrated me as well when he was here. One of my favorite players but rarely lived up to his potential and what his athleticism could do. I’ll never root against BG but I also think we can discuss players without it being hate.
 

Cowtown Cat

Heisman
Aug 23, 2015
23,074
52,242
100
I disagree, he does hurt us on the offense side. He is a ball stop, slow to read and make decisions. For his size you would think he would have more blocks and rebounds and help side defense since we are discussing it. I hope the light comes on for him. There is no hate for him. You can’t really improve the thinking part sometimes. Poythress frustrated me as well when he was here. One of my favorite players but rarely lived up to his potential and what his athleticism could do. I’ll never root against BG but I also think we can discuss players without it being hate.
This is true, to some degree. BG frustrates me so much when handling the ball up top. Seems that Pope went away from that in the last game. Garrison was the guy catching passes after cutting, instead of the other way around.
 
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theBlues

All-Conference
Oct 18, 2025
857
1,852
93
This is true, to some degree. Bs frustrates me so much when handling the ball up top. Seems that Pope went away from that in the last game. Garrison was the guy catching passes after cutting, instead of the other way around.
Absolutely! The big in the zoom action does not have to be the center.
 
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Catzman

Heisman
Apr 29, 2002
16,856
13,172
113
I don’t mind Garrison on offense, he rarely really hurts us there.

He’s quite possibly the most useless defender I’ve ever witnessed for a guy with his size and athleticism though. He’s also a terrible rebounder for a guy who has all the athletic attributes to be a good one.

His inability to rotate over and have any kind of effect protecting the basket makes him unplayable, IMO.

Moreno is raw as hell but understands that he’s very big and uses it to his advantage.

I’m just tired of watching Garrison’s never ending identity crisis on the basketball court.

It's like you read my mind and said it more eloquently than I ever could have.

I don't hate the kid, but he leaves so much to be desired. He doesn't rebound or defend like someone who's 6'10 250lbs with very good athleticism. It's effort related as well as he just stands and watches while Mo D whos 3 inches shorters and 30lbs lighter is fighting like a honey badger. Moreno is taller but even he's been significantly better at rebounding right out of the gate. He grabbed 4 rebounds in 18 minutes against Valpo. I just feel like even 75% effort should have been him grab 7 or 8.
 

Kentucky15

All-Conference
Mar 29, 2013
2,033
4,220
108
He was ok but it’s damn Nicholls. And he doesn’t seem any better than he was last year. Only change he made was replicating. Kids are great. But that’s not what I’m here for.

One thing he can bring is continuity. The game has changed and we need guys who we feel are part of the family and history here. I don’t think he’s going anywhere. I think Pope likes what he can bring and wants to retain these guys to Keep the program meaningful. You can’t just swap players team to team nearly. It will kill the sport over time and nobody will have a home, no player will be part of the tradition. If a few like Garrison stay when they could be replaced by someone a little more talented fine. As long as the team doesn’t miss a beat it’s better this way.

Garrison just needs to be part of the unit. He can be valuable by teaching and fielding a role, while also keeping the Kentucky way alive by continuing player tradition here.
 
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chroix

Heisman
Jul 22, 2013
10,389
26,224
113
One thing he can bring is continuity. The game has changed and we need guys who we feel are part of the family and history here. I don’t think he’s going anywhere. I think Pope likes what he can bring and wants to retain these guys to Keep the program meaningful. You can’t just swap players team to team nearly. It will kill the sport over time and nobody will have a home, no player will be part of the tradition. If a few like Garrison stay when they could be replaced by someone a little more talented fine. As long as the team doesn’t miss a beat it’s better this way.

Garrison just needs to be part of the unit. He can be valuable by teaching and fielding a role, while also keeping the Kentucky way alive by continuing player tradition here.
He played better and is fine. I’m just not seeing much improvement. Looks like he did last year. Holding that kid up like the lion king doesn’t do it for me. Hold up a damn trophy.

Totally agree on the continuity piece and really all of what you say. Just hope he’d been in the gym all summer. Malachi outperforming makes it a moot point anyway thankfully.