Speaker 1: To be able to come back for year two and
Speaker 1: have those relationships. How much do you think that maybe
Speaker 1: influenced your decision to come back here.
Speaker 2: Yeah, just him showing me that he really cares just
Speaker 2: a little face times me's a lot. You know, he
Speaker 2: really like just wants to feel like you're talking face
Speaker 2: to face, not just over the phone. It just coach
Speaker 2: Pope overall, you know, his vibe, He's real about what
Speaker 2: he says and just all that. Just in a pot
Speaker 2: I feel like, just help me choose Kentucky and play
Speaker 2: for a coach like him.
Speaker 1: Welcome back to another episode of Behind Kentucky Basketball, presented
Speaker 1: by UK Federal Credit Union. Michelle Knezvik joined with Brandon Garrison.
Speaker 1: Very exciting because you just announced that you're coming back
Speaker 1: for year two at Kentucky.
Speaker 2: How does it feel, Oh, yeah, it feels great, you know,
Speaker 2: just coming back for the year, just playing at Kentucky.
Speaker 2: It was a great year last year, and just excited
Speaker 2: for next year.
Speaker 1: What do you think it'll be like to have a
Speaker 1: true off season here, to be able to you know,
Speaker 1: talk to the coaches over the summer and really be
Speaker 1: able to know what to expect maybe coming into the fall.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so just before the season ended, me and Coach
Speaker 2: Pope was just talking about next season. I just got
Speaker 2: to have a big offseason. He been preching to me,
Speaker 2: hitting the weight room and just taking that leader role,
Speaker 2: you know, a Mari had, you know, because I was
Speaker 2: just like a little brother to him, but just taking
Speaker 2: that role. And you know, me and Coach Pope just
Speaker 2: been talking a lot.
Speaker 1: You mentioned the little brother role with Amari. What do
Speaker 1: you think he taught you this year? Being able to
Speaker 1: play with him and learn from him.
Speaker 3: Uh.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he taught me a lot, just him being in
Speaker 2: college for the five years he was in, teaching me
Speaker 2: new things, you know, were hanging out outside of the court.
Speaker 2: It was just a good brotherhood between us two.
Speaker 1: I say, you had a lot of upperclassmen on the team.
Speaker 1: You just mentioned Andrew Carr cleaning out his locker which
Speaker 1: is next year and Jackson is next to yours. To
Speaker 1: have all those guys leave and maybe handing of the
Speaker 1: torch to you being an upperclassman next year, what's that like?
Speaker 1: And where do you want to see maybe your leadership
Speaker 1: qualities grow like that?
Speaker 2: Bright Brandon, Yeah, it was sad. You know, I made
Speaker 2: a little Instagram fosts of them to leave him. But
Speaker 2: you know, me and Jackson we known each other before.
Speaker 2: It is just because we're both from Oklahoma, so just
Speaker 2: growing up around each other. Andrew, I feel like he
Speaker 2: was a team dad, so you know, just always I
Speaker 2: could count on them, you know, like if I needed
Speaker 2: a ride or he's teaching us things and keeping us
Speaker 2: all in line. So just gonna be sassening them to leave,
Speaker 2: but you know they go out there and do big things.
Speaker 1: You mentioned Oklahoma. What was what was it like growing
Speaker 1: up in Oklahoma? And when did you start playing basketball?
Speaker 1: And yeah, just tell us kind of what it was
Speaker 1: like growing up there for you.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, that's my home state, so I feel
Speaker 2: like it was. Oklahoma is a chill spot. Its like
Speaker 2: not much to do. I'll say, you know, people don't
Speaker 2: really visit it. They say is born, but I feel
Speaker 2: like it's enough to do. You know, It's not like
Speaker 2: a big city, but just growing up there good.
Speaker 1: Uh.
Speaker 2: I know a lot of people, they show a lot
Speaker 2: of love. And every time I'll go back and.
Speaker 1: Yeah, what is maybe in Oklahoma, whether it be food
Speaker 1: or something that you miss that is not here in Kentucky.
Speaker 3: Uh, let me think it's not really like food spots.
Speaker 1: Kentucky barbecue, Like is it big for barbecue? Right?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'll say it's a lot of barbecue places that
Speaker 2: Kentucky don't have that, but just a special restaurant.
Speaker 3: I'll say, I eat the same food out here.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, Okay, then go to favorite meal.
Speaker 3: Favorite meal. I'll say, you don't have.
Speaker 1: To eat healthy. We can be healthy like a burger
Speaker 1: never disappoints.
Speaker 3: Never.
Speaker 1: So talking a little bit about Oklahoma, will you you
Speaker 1: get to go back there this summer and maybe see
Speaker 1: family and do you have any fun summer plans?
Speaker 3: I guess yeah.
Speaker 2: So these past few weekends, you know, I work out
Speaker 2: during the week and then Coach Pope let me go
Speaker 2: home like Thursday or Friday.
Speaker 3: So last week I went.
Speaker 2: This week, I just got back today actually, so just
Speaker 2: going out there and spending time with my fam, my son.
Speaker 3: Coach Pope just allowed me to do that.
Speaker 1: So I know you're a big Thunder fans, So you
Speaker 1: got to be in attendance for a playoff game. What
Speaker 1: is it like rooting on not only the Thunder, which
Speaker 1: we knew you're from Oklahoma, they like them, but Cason
Speaker 1: Wallace and obviously shake yel just Alexander. Pretty cool to
Speaker 1: see some former Wildcats.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, when I have the chance, if I'm
Speaker 2: in town the game, you know, I'll try to catch them.
Speaker 3: May Casey.
Speaker 2: You know we I wouldn't say like we grew up together,
Speaker 2: but you know, just through basketball we know each other.
Speaker 2: He'd be giving me tickets to the game when I asked.
Speaker 1: I love so true friend, true fun right there.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, just Shay and Shaye. I don't know him,
Speaker 2: but you know one of my favorite players. I love
Speaker 2: his game and everybody knows should be the MP this year.
Speaker 1: I like that. I like that. So you mentioned your
Speaker 1: son being able to go back to Oklahoma and see him.
Speaker 1: Not a couple of games this year. I think there's
Speaker 1: a press conference that he got to be up there
Speaker 1: with you, or seeing him walk on the court post game.
Speaker 1: Now that he's at this age for maybe he's a
Speaker 1: little bit more interactive. Has it been cool for you
Speaker 1: to bring him to the games and see him and
Speaker 1: have him be a part of your one a Kentucky
Speaker 1: and then your two.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'll say it's just amazing just seeing him growing up.
Speaker 2: By the day, I can tell he's learning a lot
Speaker 2: of new stuff. You know, he's getting bigger. It's just special,
Speaker 2: you know, good times for me. You know, Coach Pope
Speaker 2: allow me just to have him around the locker room
Speaker 2: bringing them practice. You know, mini coaches probably don't let
Speaker 2: that happen. But I thank him for letting me do that,
Speaker 2: and I'm just grateful to have a someon.
Speaker 1: He doesn't realize how cool it is that he gets
Speaker 1: to be in the Kentucky ballastball locker.
Speaker 2: I don't realize right now, but when he gets older
Speaker 2: and look bad, people like.
Speaker 1: D does he have a little tykes hoop, like one
Speaker 1: of those little basketball hoops you got?
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2: You know he got a playroom back in Oklahoma and
Speaker 2: he got one in there he'd be playing with.
Speaker 1: How would you rate his skills early on?
Speaker 3: Still still got a lot of work to do, but
Speaker 3: you know.
Speaker 1: Feeling he got an early start, which is great. You
Speaker 1: mentioned some of the work you want to do this
Speaker 1: summer and heading into year two, Brandon, what does that
Speaker 1: look like for you? You know from a training perspective, you
Speaker 1: mentioned your hitting the weight room, Like where do you
Speaker 1: want to see yourself maybe in the next three four months?
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, yeah, just first the weight room, you know,
Speaker 2: getting more muscle, I say, you know, being in the
Speaker 2: best condition I can be. And just on the court,
Speaker 2: you know, just my overall game. You know, I got
Speaker 2: a lot to improve on, you know, little things like
Speaker 2: ball handling, jump shots, just creating shots for myself. So
Speaker 2: just me and Michael have been working on at these
Speaker 2: this off season, I'll say, And yeah, we've been getting
Speaker 2: after it.
Speaker 1: What's your relationship with Michael McLean.
Speaker 2: Uh, you know, he's like he liked my mentor, I say,
Speaker 2: ever since I got here. He told me like me
Speaker 2: and you go be close, and you know, it's just
Speaker 2: it's just not about basketball with him, Like off the court,
Speaker 2: he's helped me with stuff, calling and facetimed me, checking
Speaker 2: on me, make sure my fam good.
Speaker 3: But I'm thankful for Yeah, that's all I say.
Speaker 1: All Right, listen, everybody, we need to take a brief
Speaker 1: moment to thank our podcast sponsored UK Federal Credit Union,
Speaker 1: as the official credit union of the University of Kentucky.
Speaker 1: UKFCU understands that students need support, and that's why they've
Speaker 1: created the Student Rewards Account, which offers them five percent
Speaker 1: cash back on all debit card purchases to students aged
Speaker 1: thirteenth to twenty five. Visit UKFCU dot org for stop
Speaker 1: by one of their seven local branches to open an account.
Speaker 1: Today federally insured by MCUI. I feel like a lot
Speaker 1: of these coaches I've heard like facetiming Coach Pope. I
Speaker 1: heard it's a big facetimer. Coach McLean is a big facetimer.
Speaker 1: What is it like when you see that FaceTime coming
Speaker 1: through You're like, oh yeah, So like.
Speaker 2: The first time coach actually called me, he started facetiming me,
Speaker 2: and I thought it was on accident, so I didn't
Speaker 2: answer our card and regular, and then he facetimed me again,
Speaker 2: and I was like, this is different because like I
Speaker 2: never had to coach FaceTime me, but he was like
Speaker 2: he liked to see his players face to face and stuff.
Speaker 2: So just him doing that just means a lot. And
Speaker 2: then the rest of the coaching staff like they starting
Speaker 2: to pick up on it because, like I said, Coach
Speaker 2: mccleam be facetiming me and he don't usually do that,
Speaker 2: So I feel like that's rubbing off from all the coaches.
Speaker 3: Come on.
Speaker 1: So you mentioned the relationship with coach Pope, He was
Speaker 1: one of the first coaches who FaceTime you before he
Speaker 1: really ever, really knew you before you came to Kentucky.
Speaker 1: To be able to come back for year two and
Speaker 1: have those relationships, how much do you think that maybe
Speaker 1: influenced your decision to come back here.
Speaker 2: Yeah, just him showing me that he really cares just
Speaker 2: a little face times means a lot. You know, he
Speaker 2: really like just wants to feel like you're talking face
Speaker 2: to face, not just over the phone. It just Coach
Speaker 2: Pope overall, you know, his his vibe, He's real about
Speaker 2: what he says, and just all that just in a
Speaker 2: pot I feel like, just help me choose Kentucky and
Speaker 2: play for a coach like him.
Speaker 1: What does it like to kind of have your group
Speaker 1: know that you're all on the same page, Like right
Speaker 1: after the season ended, I think Coach Pope said that
Speaker 1: a bunch of you all in the team like got
Speaker 1: in one room and you just talked to like six
Speaker 1: o'clock in the morning, like this team from the outside
Speaker 1: looking in, like you could just tell how close you
Speaker 1: all were. And then Coach tells stories like that, and
Speaker 1: then to have this this group of you guys carry
Speaker 1: over to year two and already have maybe that chemistry
Speaker 1: established so that it can translate onto the court.
Speaker 2: Yeah, like you said after the game, it was all
Speaker 2: in one room, just talking and stuff. I just feel
Speaker 2: like that just shows like our connection that we have
Speaker 2: just off the court. You know, many teams will probably
Speaker 2: just want to go hang out in your own room
Speaker 2: and just suffered the loss. But you know, we all
Speaker 2: came in there, talked it out and just talking through
Speaker 2: like the year brought up a lot of things, coos
Speaker 2: and stuff. But it just shows like how connected we
Speaker 2: all are, and I feel like that's a big part
Speaker 2: of a team.
Speaker 3: I'll say.
Speaker 1: I think one of the cool things to watch from
Speaker 1: the outside is how much social media has been a
Speaker 1: thing as new players get added to the roster and
Speaker 1: you know, Coach Figer posting his boom memes or Coach
Speaker 1: Brooks posting these these funny videos. What is it like
Speaker 1: for you all seeing these posts and seeing the fan
Speaker 1: base like go crazy of who's next or when you
Speaker 1: announced you're coming back, or when Colin announced he's coming back,
Speaker 1: that they have this like fun game on social media.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so I feel like Coach Brooks always did that
Speaker 2: and then it fed off on a yeah, Coach Figer,
Speaker 2: that fed off on them. But when I decided I
Speaker 2: was coming back, Coach Figer, he told me to pick
Speaker 2: up my boom. So I think it does that with
Speaker 2: all the players. I'll say, so, like that's interesting. And
Speaker 2: then the funny videos, I think Coach Brooks just come
Speaker 2: up with those and that's just the thing you do.
Speaker 2: And the fans picked up on it now, so every
Speaker 2: time they posted, you know, they're getting excited and like
Speaker 2: who's coming and what's happening and stuff.
Speaker 3: So it's just good times.
Speaker 1: I'll say, did it take you a while to figure
Speaker 1: out what boom? Do you want it? Uh?
Speaker 3: Conda, I was really deciding. I went on a little.
Speaker 2: Jiff app Ordever's call and just picked one out, the
Speaker 2: coolest one I thought was cool.
Speaker 3: And moon with that.
Speaker 1: So what is what? Maybe are you excited for in
Speaker 1: year two?
Speaker 3: Oh?
Speaker 2: Yeah, just the new group of guys that's coming in
Speaker 2: playing for Coast Pote, seeing how our game would develop
Speaker 2: and what I can show Kentucky and just very excited.
Speaker 1: Well, I know the fan base was really excited to
Speaker 1: hear you're coming back for year two and to follow
Speaker 1: you this summer as you get working and then I mean,
Speaker 1: how many days until Big Blue Madness will be here?
Speaker 1: Before you know it?
Speaker 2: Yeah, just excited for a Big Blue Madness. No special
Speaker 2: last year. Never seen something like that, and just a
Speaker 2: sold out arena just for Big Blue Madness. I'll say
Speaker 2: it was just crazy and great vibes that night.
Speaker 1: When you have some of these new players come in,
Speaker 1: how do you think you'll explain to them what Big
Speaker 1: Blue Nation is? H?
Speaker 2: I mean, I can tell them, but it's just like
Speaker 2: I feel like they'll just like you just talking, or
Speaker 2: like I just they'll just have to see for themselves,
Speaker 2: because that's how I felt like Coach Pope was telling me,
Speaker 2: just different students and stuff. But then like when I
Speaker 2: first experience, I was like, dang, they wasn't lying, but
Speaker 2: you know, like when people were just talking, you just
Speaker 2: kind of one ear out the other.
Speaker 3: But they just got the experience for theirself, experience for themselves. Okay.
Speaker 1: And then last week we got a round out the Thunder.
Speaker 1: You know you're going into any more games as they
Speaker 1: make their postseason run.
Speaker 2: Uh, I'm sure I'll be able to catch a few,
Speaker 2: you know, uh when I'm back home or whenever I
Speaker 2: get the chance to if I'm at home while they play.
Speaker 2: But I got the Thunder flight they will win it
Speaker 2: all Special Group and yeah, I'm sticking with the Thunder.
Speaker 1: Hopefully Case and Cason can come through. Shay be Thunder
Speaker 1: root for them.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, yeah for sure, for sure.
Speaker 1: Well, Brian, thank you so much. Had for year two.
Speaker 1: Another episode on Behind Kentucky Basketball, presented by UK Federal
Speaker 1: Credit Union
Speaker 3: And m HM