Greg Williams, father of UK sophomore Kam Williams, believes it just took time for players to learn their roles and how to win. (UK Athletics Photo)
Sophomore Kam Williams seemed to be getting more and more comfortable in coach Mark Pope’s offense but now he could be out for the year after needing surgery to repair a bone fracture in his foot.
Williams’ father, Greg, believes there were still more things his son had in his game to show UK fans.
“There are things that you haven’t seen that he can do but there’s a dynamic on any team,” Greg Williams said. “When he came to Kentucky, there’s no doubt that this was Otega Oweh’s team. You have to defer to that guy. But then you also have other people who were the guy on their teams.
“Jaland Lowe, he was a leader at Pitt. Denzel Aberdeen, although he was a reserve at Florida, is a very good player. You have to kind of fit in to have everything flow.”
Greg Williams credits Oweh, UK’s leading scorer, and Aberdeen for telling Williams he needed to do more.
“I think Kam got comfortable like that. They are doing the same thing for Jasper (Johnson), Malachi (Moreno) and even (Andrija) Jelavic,” Greg Williams said. “They are saying, ‘If you feel it flow, then do. Just don’t do anything crazy.’”
Greg Williams said Pope “basically wants every player to do what he was brought in to do without fear” and cherish the playing time he gets.
“Jelavic is a 6-foot-11 stretch guy. He can shoot the 3. The last few games he’s not afraid to pull the 3,” Greg Williams said. “He’s out there defending. Jelavic has finally seen Mark Pope’s vision for him and is embracing it.
“What you were seeing from Kam was coach Pope telling him to do what he can do from 3 or backing the guy down. That’s what Pope wants him to do.”
Greg Williams understands the struggles freshman Jasper Johnson has had understanding his role.
“He was brought here to shoot the 3, defend, make a great pass. He is a scoring two guard that’s being asked to be a distributing point guard. That’s tough but Jasper is doing what they are asking of him and doing all he can to help the team.”
No one has been giddier over UK’s recent play than Greg Williams even though his son has not been able to play. He’s still pulling for a deep postseason run by UK and maybe a sooner than expected recovery for his son.
“I’m practicing my countdown skills for the future, but for right now, what about those Cats,” Greg Williams said.
4 Responses
I really really like this team. I still think our best basketball is ahead of us. We are in year 2 of the Mark Pope era. This is supposed to be his worst year as a coach. So if this is his worst work I can't wait to see what we look like next year and the year after. Oweh Aberdeen and Chandler have kicked it into another gear. I'm the most proud of BG. If he's not Andre Riddick reincarnated then I don't know basketball. You could count on Riddick getting into a fight almost every night like Jamal Maglore. Boogie Cousins was the same way. This last game is how I thought BG would play all year. He has the potential and body to be a all conference player. Maybe he will hit that stride next year. He had a bounce pass from the 3 point line to Oweh cutting and it had Magic Johnson vibes. If BG could settle his mind down and bang his body into the right spots he could be a double double machine. He's actually way more athletic than Moreno. Moreno just puts himself in a better position. If BG could know where the ball is going to come off the rim for a rebound he would be unstoppable. That's the only thing slowing him down. He's never in position but he's learning. I'm proud of him for not giving up on himself. Kam will be the starting 3 next year if he comes back. I don't put no stock in players nowadays because one day there here and the next day there gone No UGK.
BG should have done it before now bc he showed those flashes last year. Hopefully, he knows what he can add to the team now. Pope has started to show more and Happy for that but am not totally on board yet. He is still pulling blanks in 26 recruiting and that is not UK brand. Us and Georgia are only 2 teams in SEC that haven't connected yet.
I think Kam was starting to find his place. He will be an excellent player at UK if he stays another year or two.
Agree Old Fan. really need him to stay
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