Over the past month, Mark Pope has been working very hard trying to build up Kentucky’s roster, and he’s fully utilized the transfer portal. Pope added former Alabama power forward Mouhamed Dioubate and ex-Arizona State post player Jayden Quaintance to Kentucky’s frontcourt ahead of next season.
Andrija Jelavic, a 6’11” forward, has also joinedd and Pope also added McDonald’s All-American center Malachi Moreno to the program. Despite all these new additions, Pope has high expectations for his returning stars.
Mark Pope Expecting Big Things From Brandon Garrison
Kentucky has brought in a number of big men ahead of the new season, but it seems Pope expects Brandon Garrison to be a key contributor next season. Speaking with Jonathan Rothstein, Pope says he expects Garrison to be hungry and ready to go.
Mark Pope believes that several of Kentucky’s returning players can make major jumps during the 2025-26 season. pic.twitter.com/J4QCMpJsSV
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 1, 2025
“I think Brandon Garrison, man, he’s shown even in this young offseason he is hungry right now”, Pope said when asked who the players are that he’s expecting to take that leap.
“He’s a McDonald’s All-American who had an unbelievable first year at Oklahoma State as a freshman, and then clearly took a massive jump forward last year, and I think he’s ready to emerge as a superstar, and he understands how huge this summer is for him. He’s really focused. He’s got a very precise agenda of things he’s working on, and I know he’s really hungry.”
Garrison finished his first season at Kentucky by posting 5.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 17.3 minutes per outing. He shot 50.9 percent from the field while coming off the bench in all 35 games played.
Pope has been credited with developing Garrison’s game, particularly his three-point shooting. Although Garrison didn’t shoot a single 3-pointer in his freshman year at Oklahoma State, he knew that skill was somewhere inside him; he just needed the right person to bring it out.
Under Pope, Garrison was able to stretch the floor with his shooting in his sophomore year with Kentucky. He shot 30% from deep this past season, but bumped that number up to 36% against strictly SEC opponents.
KEEP READING: 2025 Men’s College Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker
“I’ve always been able to shoot, but I feel like Coach Pope helped me gain the confidence and just getting reps up in practice, after practice, stuff like that,” Garrison said. “But he told me, as long as I shoot I gotta hold my follow through, and if it goes in or not, he’s not tripping on it.”
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
