Mark Pope details the phone call from Otega Oweh’s return

Pope said he nearly got thrown out of a plane.

The majority of the Kentucky Wildcats roster is in Lexington as summer practices will commence in a few weeks. But first we the Cats are working their annual summer camps.

With plenty of new faces in Lexington, there is one major returning player for the Cats in senior guard Otega Oweh. The BBN celebrated when his return to Lexington was announced, but it doesn’t sound like anyone could have been as excited as Mark Pope.

During the camp this weekend, Oweh grabbed the microphone and asked Coach Pope how he found out about the star guard’s return. His answer will get you excited.

“I was on a plane, and I don’t understand why or how, but the call actually came through,” Pope said. “Otega called me and said, ‘Coach, let’s do this. I’m coming back.’

“I was looking around. I think the pilot was about to throw me out of the plane.”

Sounds like it was an exciting plane ride for Coach Pope.

Having Oweh back is huge for this program entering year two of the new era. Not only do they add a veteran presence that knows the system, they also return a player that could see pre-season All-American honors overall.

Going to be a fun year.