Lamont Butler talks about the future of Kentucky basketball
Kentucky basketball’s season may have ended in a rough way after losing to rival Tennessee in the Sweet 16, but with everything Mark Pope did in his first season at the helm in Lexington makes for a very promising future. In his first season, Pope gave Kentucky wins over the likes of Duke, Florida, Louisville, Texas A&M, Tennessee (twice), Gonzaga, Mississippi State and Missouri, which gave Kentucky a great resume.
Eight wins over AP top 15 opponents and a Sweet 16 isn’t easy for anyone in their first year at a school, but Pope did it even while dealing with the circumstances of a few key injuries for a portion of the season, not to mention putting a roster together in one month, essentially from scratch. This Kentucky team really set the tone for the Mark Pope era, and Lamont Butler talked about that after Friday’s loss.
What Mark Pope and his team were able to this season overall was impressive. Not many people had eight top-15 wins in the regular season and a run to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament on their bingo card. This Kentucky team set the standard for the future, and Pope says, “We’ll be taking about these guys 10 years from now.” This first team under Pope at Kentucky gave fans a new hope and an understanding again of what Kentucky basketball is about.
It’s hard to complain when you look at everything Pope did in his first season in Lexington. Many fans should consider this a successful start to a new era. The future looks promising.
Mark Pope says Lamont Butler was “born in a defensive stance”
Kentucky is getting set to play in their first Sweet 16 in six years, and a big part of them getting there has been their defensive improvement. One player that has been a constant in that area all season has been Lamont Butler. The 6-2 guard dealt with injuries for a portion of the regular season and is now giving his all for the Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament, even if he is still fighting through pain, although he continues to say he is fine.
The pain isn’t bothering Butler, certainly so, given the fact that he has been so good for the Wildcats lately, especially with his performance on Sunday against Illinois in the Round of 32. That’s exactly what you want in your point guard, someone who will give his all for his team. Butler finished with 14 points on 4-5 shooting overall and 2-3 from three-point range, adding 5 assists, 2 rebounds and 3 steals. Mark Pope knows his impact on the defensive end and how it can. translate to offense. He knows it so much that he says Butler must have been ‘born in a defensive stance.’
The Wildcats forced 14 Illinois turnovers, converting those into 26 points, and Butler was certainly a massive part in that. As Kentucky looks to keep their NCAA Tournament ride going, they’ll want Butler to keep his impressive play going, because he is playing some great basketball right now.