Kentucky's official season opener provided the first real glimpse of Mark Pope's highly-touted freshman class. After the 77-51 win over Nicholls State, the head coach was beaming with pride about their contributions, particularly the growth of Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno.
Pope praises growth of freshman class after Nicholls State win
Pope highlighted a specific "huge challenge" he gave Jasper Johnson on the defensive end, an area Johnson has been working to improve. The result? A performance Pope loved.
"The one thing about Jasper, man, when you give him an assignment, he takes it seriously," Pope said.