After Otega Oweh bulldozed his way to the rim for a game-winner amid a chaotic final few seconds, Kentucky head coach Mark Pope knew he had a special player. Returning to Oklahoma as its latest program villain, the transfer student didn’t let the hostile environment rattle him.
At the final buzzer, Oweh had the last laugh. He scored 28 points in Kentucky’s 83-82 win over Oklahoma on Feb. 26, 2025. It was the first of two game-winners he hit against his former school in a two-week span. By the end of the Wildcats’ 2024-25 regular season, Pope discovered a diamond in the rough.
“That was probably the first moment where I was like, ‘Oh. He’s got an
extra gear,” Pope told Thunder Wire.
After two forgettable years at Oklahoma, Oweh changed the trajectory of his basketball journey with one daring decision. He transferred to Kentucky to bet on himself. Being an average starter on the Sooners just wasn’t cutting it for him. Obviously, the move paid dividends. He turned into the Wildcats’ top scorer for his final two years — which coincided with Pope’s arrival.
That was enough for Oweh to generate draft buzz. The Oklahoma City Thunder selected him with the No. 41 pick of the 2026 NBA draft. On a two-way deal, the 23-year-old hopes to join a lineage of two-way success stories there — while also winning back over scorned Sooners fans.
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