Although he played a reserve role in his first year at Kentucky, Brandon Garrison was frequently cited by UK head coach Mark Pope as a player who had as high a ceiling as anyone on the Wildcats' roster.

To reach that potential, Pope wants to see Garrison carry himself like one of the best players on the team in 2025-26.

"He needs to be a leader," Pope said during his recent summer press conference on the state of all things Big Blue. "I'm really proud of him and how he's approached this off-season. He's been really hungry. He's been working really hard. And his job now as a returning player is to come teach all the other guys, whether they're more senior than him or not, he's one of our few returning guys."

The 6-foot-10 junior center will be one of four scholarship players back from last year's NCAA Sweet 16 squad, including guards Otega Oweh and Collin Chandler and swingman Trent Noah.

Garrison is known as much for his gregarious nature and fighting spirit as the numbers he put up as a sophomore. After transferring from Oklahoma State, he averaged just 5.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game playing behind starting center Amari Williams, but he showed signs late in the season of taking the next step in his development.

Three of his best performances came in the final nine games of the season, including a 13-point showing against Troy in the NCAA Tournament, a 15-point night against LSU, and a 12-point, four-rebound, three-steal, two-block effort in an overtime win against his home state Oklahoma Sooners.

And his coach was just as pleased with the things that don't show up on a stat sheet.

"It was really fun in the last month of the season to see him start to take on some leadership role, even with a veteran-laden team we had last year," Pope said. "You started to hear his voice more, you started to feel his intensity a little bit more. He's changed. He's grown. It's been awesome."

Garrison is embracing Pope's prodding.

"It's something me and coach Pope talked about right after the season ended," he said. "It's something that I want to do, small things to help move in that direction."

When the Cats played host to several players for official visits this spring, Garrison stepped up as host. Pope wound up signing six players from the transfer portal and two freshmen to help rebuild the UK roster.

"We had four new-coming players on official visits all together," Pope recalled. "It was a really fun visit. We had the guys at my house for a long breakfast and to hang out. Brandon Garrison came, and it was really fun to watch him holding court with those four guys. He kinda went out of his way to sit with those guys and talk about what it is and what it's like and what is required.

"To think of Brandon Garrison as a big brother right now is super cool. He'll be the first to tell you Amari Williams was a life-changing mentor for him. He's excited about now kinda moving into that position where he gets to help some other guys come along."

He cited last year's seniors as setting a good example for how to lead. "The knowledge that we got from them, we can pour into these young guys now."

Garrison also credits becoming a father as part of his maturation process.

"Made me grow up," he said. "... I'm doing it for someone else now. I've always taken it serious, but even more serious now."

He added that he wants to keep bringing the fire to the Cats' spirit while tempering some of the issues that led to unnecessary fouls and technicals last season.

As far as his play is concerned, Garrison noted that he's worked on his all-around game in the off-season. Ball-handling, shooting, and footwork were all keys. He has also been challenged by Pope to be the hardest worker on the team and to be in the best shape of his life.

Garrison showed flashes of being a good 3-point threat last season, hitting 12 of 40 attempts. The shooting threat from the center position is a key aspect in Pope's offensive system, something they didn't always get from Williams last season in an otherwise strong campaign from the 7-footer.

"Getting up a lot of reps," Garrison said of his jumper. "... I feel like Pope really wants us to get up more 3s this year."