Drexel transfer Amari Williams was the first commitment of the Mark Pope era at Kentucky, so because of that he’ll always be a name to remember.
But, he was also almost remembered as the first flop of the Mark Pope era.
Just hours before the transfer portal officially closed, meaning no new names could enter, there were reports that Williams was iffy on his Kentucky commitment. What resulted was a ‘late-night meeting’ between Williams and his camp and Mark Pope.
“Following a late-night meeting with head coach Mark Pope, Amari Williams will remain committed to playing for Kentucky next season,” ESPN insider Jonathan Givony said back in early-May.
At the time, it was a massive moment for Pope and Kentucky to ensure it kept what will be a critical piece to the debut season for Pope in Lexington.
But recently, Williams went on record saying he ‘wasn’t close to going anywhere’ despite the rumors.
“I was not close at all to going anywhere, I wasn’t close to going anywhere. I knew where it was,” Williams told On3.com reporter Jacob Polacheck. “My coaches knew I was going to stay. It was just a matter of speaking to him and seeing where things were at. Even if he didn’t fly out to see me, that wouldn’t have changed my decision. I was already set on going to UK.”
Numerous scouts and analysts have been on record stating the ‘perfect fit’ Williams is for Mark Pope’s system.
The 6-foot-10, 230-pound center averaged 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game this season. He finished with 10 double-digit rebounding games and eight double-doubles. He’s best knkown for his ability to defend the rim and his versatility passing the ball offensively.
“A lot of people have talked about the offense Mark Pope runs,” Williams added to On3.com. “It’s an offense of passing bigs. That fits my play style the best.”
Williams is part of a front court that includes Wake Forest transfer Andrew Carr, Oklahoma State transfer Brandon Garrison and Ansley Almonor from Fairleigh Dickinson.
“At times, Amari Williams looks like a man among boys on the court,” Pope said of Williams. “He is a three-time conference defensive player of the year, which is incredibly hard to do. He is bringing a big presence to the game and is going to serve as a rim-protector and rebounder.
“Amari is a gifted defensive player who can switch onto any position, one through five, which will add security to how everybody else feels on the court.”
