BR projects Oweh will be drafted: EDIT: Oweh Withdraws!

[KCKUKFan]

Lost in all that yesterday was that Alabama's Labarron Philon is returning.

Philon, Pettiford, Condon, and Oweh could theoretically be the top four players in the league and all spurned the NBA.

Still don't think it's going to be the same league it was last year, but it'll be tough sledding for UK again against the top.

DJ Wagner should be a formidable junior.

[KentuckyWild2020]

After going through the NBA Draft evaluation process, Otega Oweh is returning to Kentucky for his senior season. Oweh wasn’t listed on many mock drafts, but apparently, his decision was closer than we thought.

Oweh’s workouts and interviews over the past two weeks were so impressive that he “almost certainly would have been drafted” had he stayed in. This morning, on his “Eye on College Basketball” podcast with Gary Parrish, Norlander expanded on that, saying that while Oweh worked himself into draft range, he had more money waiting for him back in Lexington, hence the decision to return to Kentucky.

“It apparently got interesting in recent days just because he really did look his best version of himself in these workouts there and it started to get to a point where maybe a month ago, it was, go through the process and see but you’re not really a projected pick and then he put himself into a position where he would have been drafted had he stayed in, so it gave some hesitation but ultimately Kentucky being one of the richest programs in NIL, I would have to believe that Oweh is making more than $3 million, as he should.”

Gary Parrish went a bit further, suggesting that Oweh, along with Auburn guard Tahaad Pettiford and Alabama guard Labaron Philon, wanted to stay in the draft had all things been equal, but each SEC school had the resources to make sure that they weren’t.

“I wasn’t surprised that Oweh was back to Kentucky, Pettiford back to Auburn, but I do think it is notable that as the deadline approached, there were at least three dudes connected to SEC programs who wanted to stay in the NBA Draft. If you asked them, what do you want to do, all things equal, what do you want to do, they wanted to stay in the draft and yet Alabama was able to lure one of them back, Kentucky was able to lure one of them back, and Auburn was able to lure one of them back. What I do not think is a coincidence is that the SEC was able to, when it came time, let’s put it on the table and see what we can get done. Boom, boom, boom, they were able to get it done.

[DA#23]

JWORLD, you managed to make the software think you’re a spammer. Strong work. I’ll delete two of those posts for ya.

[Catsrock]

I think the biggest key is Lowe. If he’s legit, we’re legit. As far as an upgrade at each position—I’d be very pleasantly surprised if Lowe is actually an upgrade to a fully healthy Butler. December Butler was dangerous.

And my most intriguing player is Jelavic. He’ll be an old, experienced freshman with a unique (European) skill set. Time will tell how many minutes he can earn but I think there’s great potential there.

[KentuckyWild2020]

JWORLD, you managed to make the software think you’re a spammer. Strong work. I’ll delete two of those posts for ya.

LOL,,,,

I just copied and pasted from KSR..

[EKYCat]

After going through the NBA Draft evaluation process, Otega Oweh is returning to Kentucky for his senior season. Oweh wasn’t listed on many mock drafts, but apparently, his decision was closer than we thought.

Oweh’s workouts and interviews over the past two weeks were so impressive that he “almost certainly would have been drafted” had he stayed in. This morning, on his “Eye on College Basketball” podcast with Gary Parrish, Norlander expanded on that, saying that while Oweh worked himself into draft range, he had more money waiting for him back in Lexington, hence the decision to return to Kentucky.

“It apparently got interesting in recent days just because he really did look his best version of himself in these workouts there and it started to get to a point where maybe a month ago, it was, go through the process and see but you’re not really a projected pick and then he put himself into a position where he would have been drafted had he stayed in, so it gave some hesitation but ultimately Kentucky being one of the richest programs in NIL, I would have to believe that Oweh is making more than $3 million, as he should.”

Gary Parrish went a bit further, suggesting that Oweh, along with Auburn guard Tahaad Pettiford and Alabama guard Labaron Philon, wanted to stay in the draft had all things been equal, but each SEC school had the resources to make sure that they weren’t.

“I wasn’t surprised that Oweh was back to Kentucky, Pettiford back to Auburn, but I do think it is notable that as the deadline approached, there were at least three dudes connected to SEC programs who wanted to stay in the NBA Draft. If you asked them, what do you want to do, all things equal, what do you want to do, they wanted to stay in the draft and yet Alabama was able to lure one of them back, Kentucky was able to lure one of them back, and Auburn was able to lure one of them back. What I do not think is a coincidence is that the SEC was able to, when it came time, let’s put it on the table and see what we can get done. Boom, boom, boom, they were able to get it done.

So, it WAS about the money?

[KentuckyWild2020]

I think the biggest key is Lowe. If he’s legit, we’re legit. As far as an upgrade at each position—I’d be very pleasantly surprised if Lowe is actually an upgrade to a fully healthy Butler. December Butler was dangerous.

And my most intriguing player is Jelavic. He’ll be an old, experienced freshman with a unique (European) skill set. Time will tell how many minutes he can earn but I think there’s great potential there.

I am all in on JELAVIC.

[KentuckyWild2020]

So, it WAS about the money?

Maybe..

I said from day one it wasn't about the money but maybe it was, maybe his agent saw dollar signs and convinced him to come back to Kentucky, who knows?

The real question, how much is OWEH getting paid?

On paper there will be a number too the public, side deals and endorsements I am sure OWEH will be well compensated...

[Joneslab]

From the things he said publicly and the way he cut the video before leaving Lexington, it looks like it was more about setting himself up for next off-season. And in that regard it was a success.

Impossible to say whether he can replicate or better what he did last season. But I do think the draft is possibly going to get a little easier for him. And he'll be a known commodity because of what he just showed to NBA people. I think that's what the whole thing was about.

[Joneslab]

Yes sir.

I'm gonna say Kentucky will be right around the top 5 to start the season. Houston probably cemented #1 yesterday, Purdue #2, Florida possibly #3, maybe Auburn at #4 (I tend to think Auburn will be quite a ways below where they were even with Pettiford), then a small group of teams that will include Kentucky and Louisville.

Not that it matters. Still awesome.

I forgot about St. John's. They might be the #1 team in the preseason.

Like last season, the very top is going to be super tough. I expect Kentucky to be in the top 10.

[Bluesong]

We’ve got a few things to watch over the summer, most importantly the healing process for Jayden Quaintance. Getting back on the court will be huge.

Brandon Garrison…a guy who has shown bursts of potential, has to take a step forward on multiple fronts. His consistency and leadership will be needed as we watch his play improve as well.

Chandler also represents a much needed opportunity for improvement. He ended the season as a promising freshman and now we get to see what this staff can do for guys like that as sophomores.

We add extremely talented transfers in Lowe, Dioubate, and Aberdeen. What degree of toughness and will to win do these guys add? They bring winning pedigrees and it’s the staff’s job to blend them in with the returnees. Very exciting.

Moreover, the staff had some big shoes to fill, they came out swinging, and they hit on basically each front. This was a hugely successful off season. But wait, that’s not all!! Mark Pope kept the staff together as well. He’s got some young, hungry guys and I’d assume some move on in the next couple of years…but not yet. Just huge for the continuity of this program

Great analogy! I agree with Will’s top 5 pick but when you add Mark Pope to that ticket, I can only think of one word… WOW!

There’s something magical about Pope. I see no arrogance at all. It’s like he is not just coach but part of the team. He relates well with his team and brings out the best of each one. I’m anxious to see how he plays, “All Of Them”.

Side note: JWorld, this place wouldn’t be the same without you. 👍

[teamchemistry15]

I believe the plan was to always come back, hence the video. However I do think Norlander had some intel there a couple days ago and Oweh did get some teams who were probably interested, but he obviously couldn't get a guarantee.

The fact that he had the workout scheduled on the last day was probably the reason for waiting until the absolute deadline, but I do think he got extremely favorable responses from teams. Makes sense because of how he played in those 5 on 5's.

What we also aren't considering is the idea that the "extremely positive" feedback he was getting could've very well been for next year. They could've told him to go have a good year, work on his jumper, and fix a few small aspects of his game and he could be a first rounder next year.

[teamchemistry15]

After going through the NBA Draft evaluation process, Otega Oweh is returning to Kentucky for his senior season. Oweh wasn’t listed on many mock drafts, but apparently, his decision was closer than we thought.

Oweh’s workouts and interviews over the past two weeks were so impressive that he “almost certainly would have been drafted” had he stayed in. This morning, on his “Eye on College Basketball” podcast with Gary Parrish, Norlander expanded on that, saying that while Oweh worked himself into draft range, he had more money waiting for him back in Lexington, hence the decision to return to Kentucky.

“It apparently got interesting in recent days just because he really did look his best version of himself in these workouts there and it started to get to a point where maybe a month ago, it was, go through the process and see but you’re not really a projected pick and then he put himself into a position where he would have been drafted had he stayed in, so it gave some hesitation but ultimately Kentucky being one of the richest programs in NIL, I would have to believe that Oweh is making more than $3 million, as he should.”

Gary Parrish went a bit further, suggesting that Oweh, along with Auburn guard Tahaad Pettiford and Alabama guard Labaron Philon, wanted to stay in the draft had all things been equal, but each SEC school had the resources to make sure that they weren’t.

“I wasn’t surprised that Oweh was back to Kentucky, Pettiford back to Auburn, but I do think it is notable that as the deadline approached, there were at least three dudes connected to SEC programs who wanted to stay in the NBA Draft. If you asked them, what do you want to do, all things equal, what do you want to do, they wanted to stay in the draft and yet Alabama was able to lure one of them back, Kentucky was able to lure one of them back, and Auburn was able to lure one of them back. What I do not think is a coincidence is that the SEC was able to, when it came time, let’s put it on the table and see what we can get done. Boom, boom, boom, they were able to get it done.

So, if he was almost a certainty to be drafted but came back, can you admit you were wrong in saying that it was all about playing in the NBA?

[teamchemistry15]

I think the biggest key is Lowe. If he’s legit, we’re legit. As far as an upgrade at each position—I’d be very pleasantly surprised if Lowe is actually an upgrade to a fully healthy Butler. December Butler was dangerous.

And my most intriguing player is Jelavic. He’ll be an old, experienced freshman with a unique (European) skill set. Time will tell how many minutes he can earn but I think there’s great potential there.

I can't decide if Jelavic has a better chance at being Dirk or Darko. The skill set and talent at both there, but we have no idea how it will all translate.

[KentuckyWild2020]

So, if he was almost a certainty to be drafted but came back, can you admit you were wrong in saying that it was all about playing in the NBA?

Just responded to someone else above in regards to the money part.

Personally I did not think it was about the money and only for the "OPPORTUNITY" to play in the NBA now but obviously someone threw a number at him (UK side) yesterday that changed his mind. At the end of the day, AGENTS still want to get paid too, they aint working for free.

If the number is $3 million for him to come back, that doesn't even tell the story of all the side deals and endorsements he gets coming back to Kentucky.

For all we know, he may be making 4 maybe even 5 coming back to Kentucky.

I still think he was gone but MONEY ruled in the end in my opinion..

Don't matter, he's back, it's all good.