Mark Pope proud of response from three Wildcats after benchings vs. NC Central

Mark Pope was sending a message to a trio of his players during Kentucky’s 103-67 routing of North Carolina Central earlier this week.

Pope might not publicly want to say that he “benched” the likes of Jaland Lowe, Kam Williams, and Brandon Garrison, but that’s effectively what happened on Tuesday night, even if he (understandably) did not go into the details as to why.

Lowe and Williams both sat out the entire first half before playing eight and 13 minutes, respectively, in the second half. Lowe, who is coming off a second shoulder injury since the preseason, played the previous game against Gonzaga, while Williams was Kentucky’s starting four-man the previous four games. Both were obviously healthy enough and available to suit up, and fans/media members quickly noticed their first-half absence. As for Garrison, he saw action in the first half, but a poor turnover followed by lazy transition defense had Pope fuming, enough to send Garrison to the bench for the rest of the game.

During Friday’s press conference with the local media, Pope was asked specifically about the decision to keep Williams and Lowe on the bench in the first half. He deflected the actual premise of the question a bit, instead using it as an opportunity to praise those two for how they responded in the second half after having to sit out the first 20 minutes. In the days after that game, Pope saw Williams have his best practice yet as a Wildcat.

“We’re searching for sure, trying to find good answers,” Pope said of his lineup rotation against NC Central. “We’re trying to find a little bit of continuity and just exploring a little bit. I thought Kam was great in the second half. He had his best practice that he’s had since he’s been here. Yesterday, he was awesome. He was so forceful downhill. I think he’s got a huge upside for us to be great. He’s gonna have to be really good. So he’s working hard to grow.”

Williams recorded two points (1-4 FG), three rebounds, three assists, and one block in the second half against NC Central.

As for Lowe, Pope pointed to the aforementioned injury as a reason why the Pitt transfer didn’t get on the court much. Lowe has already gone down twice this season with a shoulder issue in his non-shooting arm. His return against Gonzaga last Friday was his first game back since Nov. 11, but he did play 14 minutes in Kentucky’s 35-point defeat to the Bulldogs before seeing even less time against NC Central. He’s someone the Wildcats will need moving forward to get the offense on track.

“I thought Jaland was really good,” Pope said. “He is just a play-making guy, like it’s in his DNA. He’s got a point guard vibe to him that is unique on our roster. It’s really important. We’re dealing with a lot of stuff with J-Lowe, you know, his health is always going to be a major part of this. We try to keep his minutes a little bit restricted. I thought he was terrific.”

What does that mean for Lowe ahead of Kentucky’s showdown with Indiana on Saturday at Rupp Arena? He’s certain to play, but it doesn’t sound like Pope is going to toss him into the starting lineup just yet. Lowe went for two assists with one turnover on Tuesday in his limited playing time off the pine.

“I’m guessing we’re gonna have a little revolving door in who starts and who doesn’t,” Pope added. “It’s coach speak, but it’s really true. I don’t really care that much who starts. I care who plays great.”

With Garrison, Pope made sure to send the junior center some praise, as well. Pope pushed back on the idea that he was sending a message to Garrison, but did note he was proud of Garrison’s response in practice over the last couple of days. Garrison, who hasn’t taken much of a leap with his on-court game from last season to this season, went from starting early in the schedule to being moved to the bench as of late.

“After practice, at the end of practice, we had a conditioning session. He won every sprint. It was awesome,” Pope said of Garrison. “Growing is hard and growing is ugly, but it’s worth it.”

Kentucky is going through plenty of growing pains right now. Pope is trying to weed out those issues. We’ll get a better idea on Saturday of how that process is going.

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