When Mark Pope was asked about returning big man Brandon Garrison at this week's basketball press conference in Lexington he didn't even talk about basketball.

Everyone who watched Garrison's first season in Lexington has a pretty good idea of how it went.

The former Oklahoma State Cowboy came in as a still-youthful big who had made valuable contributions as a freshman in the Big XII, and he was Kentucky's backup big behind Amari Williams, on a team that reached the Sweet 16.

Over the course of the season Garrison had his ups and downs. There were highlight-reel plays and action that showcased his high-end potential, athleticism, and skill. There were also moments when he appeared lost or was a bit out of control.

Garrison's numbers actually dipped at Kentucky compared to his first year with Oklahoma State. He played five fewer minutes, scored a little less, and shot a slightly lower clip from the field and the free throw line. Blocks were down, too. But there were those moments when you saw the potential, such as when he chipped in 12 points and four boards in a close win at Oklahoma.

Towards the end of the year Garrison's usage increased.

But Pope singled out leadership qualities and intangibles that have changed more than anything else over the course of his last year. And now, rather than a first-year Wildcat and a second-year college student, Garrison returns as a veteran presence tasked with easing the transition for others coming into the program.

"He needs to be a leader," Pope said. "I'm really proud of him and how he's approached this offseason. 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.

"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 ," he 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."

While everyone will be waiting for reports on Garrison's development once practice starts up, through his own observation Pope has noticed an evolving role off the court.

"We had four newcoming 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."

There's no telling what Kentucky's starting or finishing lineup will be and we know that there will be a minutes cap for most players simply because of how deep Pope likes his teams to go, but it's safe to say that Garrison will have an expanded role on another deep UK squad.