Otega Oweh recognized as one of college basketball's top shooting guards

by: Zack Geoghegan9 hours agoZGeogheganKSR

1 - Oweh IMG_0127 — Kentucky senior guard Otega Oweh has been tabbed the SEC Preseason Player of the Year. (Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)

The preseason honors continue to pile up for Preseason SEC Player of the Year, Otega Oweh.

After Kentucky point guard Jaland Lowe was tabbed to the 2026 Bob Cousy Award watch list on Monday by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Oweh was listed on the shooting guard edition. The 6-foot-4 senior was one of 20 two-guards tabbed to the 2026 Jerry West Award watch list that came out Tuesday.

Only one Wildcat has won the Jerry West Award since it was introduced in 2015, when Malik Monk was the recipient following the 2016-17 season. Oweh has a legitimate chance to join him by the end of the upcoming season. Just one other SEC player joined Oweh on the watch list, Florida’s Xaivian Lee.

.@OtegaOweh is on the @Hoophall Jerry West Award Preseason Top 20 Watch List.

📰🔗 https://t.co/MxHweq66qd pic.twitter.com/AqdqDOp3Md
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) October 28, 2025

On top of his preseason SEC recognitions, multiple outlets have tabbed Oweh as a preseason All-American. Following a breakout campaign in his debut Kentucky season, which saw him average 16.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest, he’s looking to take another step in his development going into 2025-26 with dreams of being a first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

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Despite missing 10 weeks during the offseason due to a turf toe injury, Oweh looked his usual self during Kentucky’s exhibition win over top-ranked Purdue last Friday in Rupp Arena. He finished with 10 points, three rebounds, one assist, and one steal in just 17 minutes while shooting 4-9 from the field and 1-2 from deep. Expectations are high in Lexington for the New Jersey native.

Below is the complete Jerry West Award watch list:

Brayden Burries (Arizona)
Richie Saunders (BYU)
Josh Dix (Creighton)
Isaiah Evans (Duke)
Xaivian Lee (Florida)
Emanuel Sharp (Houston)
Kylan Boswell (Illinois)
PJ Haggerty (Kansas State)
Otega Oweh (Kentucky)
Ryan Conwell (Louisville)
Seth Trimble (North Carolina)
Anthony Roy (Oklahoma State)
Jason Edwards (Providence)
Ian Jackson (St. John’s)
Solo Ball (UConn)
Rodney Rice (Southern California)
Mason Falslev (Utah State)
Malik Thomas (Virginia)
Wesley Yates III (Washington)
John Blackwell (Wisconsin)

You — the Big Blue Nation — can help Oweh and Lowe win these awards by the end of the season, too! Fans are encouraged to participate in voting in each of the three rounds for the Naismith awards. In late January, all of the lists will be narrowed down to 10 players, which will be trimmed to five in February. Winners will be announced on a later date.

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