Otega Oweh is wearing a walking boot as a precaution after suffering a minor toe injury in practice, multiple sources tell KSR. The Kentucky star was first seen with the boot on his right leg at the Lexington Dirt Bowl alongside his teammates on the outdoor courts on August 4. He’s coming off an appearance […]
Otega Oweh is wearing a walking boot as a precaution after suffering a minor toe injury in practice, multiple sources tell KSR.
The Kentucky star was first seen with the boot on his right leg at the Lexington Dirt Bowl alongside his teammates on the outdoor courts on August 4. He’s coming off an appearance at the Chris Paul & Jayson Tatum Elite Camp in Las Vegas from July 29 to August 1.
Oweh’s mother, Tania Oweh, tells KSR her son injured his toe upon his return to Lexington during practice, not while at camp in Vegas.
The invite-only event included hands-on instruction from Chris Paul and Jayson Tatum with other college stars in attendance, namely Purdue’s Braden Smith, Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, Alabama’s Labaron Philon, Florida’s Thomas Haugh and BYU’s Robert Wright III, among others. Paul invited the top guards in the country while Tatum invited the best wings and forwards.
Paolo Banchero of the Orlando Magic and Ryan Dunn of the Phoenix Suns were there to compete in open runs — Oweh stepped up to compete against the pros — while representatives of all 30 NBA teams were also in attendance to scout.
“I definitely feel more at ease, more familiar with stuff,” Oweh said of entering year two as a Wildcat this summer. “But I’m still trying to keep that same intensity and hunger that I had coming in last year. You have to keep that if you want to keep on improving.”
Fortunately, he’ll be able to continue improving without any real setback as summer workouts come to a close this week. Players will go home for a two-week break before returning to Lexington for the start of the fall semester, which begins on August 25.
There, Mark Pope expects to see Oweh take his game to another level — despite entering his senior season as the likely Preseason SEC Player of the Year.
“In a really selfish way, it’s such a gift to be able to kind of mentor these guys through this growing process. To have another year to watch him continue to grow? He’s going to face new and different challenges this year. He’s coming in as a marked man with a ton of leadership responsibility on his shoulders,” Pope told KSR. “To get to witness him grow through this next step in his evolution is a gift. That’s the best part.
“He’s going to grow — he’s going to grow exponentially again. He’s going to help us win a ton of games, and he’s going to play great basketball, and he’s going to be put in an even better position to be a pro. Being able to watch that up close and be a part of that is the best part.”
Kentucky fans feel the same way — and can exhale knowing all is well on the injury front.
Category: General Sports
