First things first. Nothing should be taken for granted in these age of college basketball transfer portals. There is always a good deal of skepticism around stay-or-go rumors this time of year because Kentucky supporters are astute enough to recognize this. It’s better to hold off on making any decisions concerning the roster for the upcoming season until the player himself provides clarification.
There is no way that Braydon Hawthorne could have made it more obvious. The UK freshman gave a firm nod when asked if he anticipated returning to Lexington for the upcoming season. “Yes,” he said. “Definitely.” Furthermore, it was probably unnecessary to make such a declaration at that point in the discourse. The entirety of Hawthorne’s nearly thirty-minute interview with the Herald-Leader on the eve of Kentucky’s regular-season finale late last week revealed a young man who believes he has learned a lot this season and is eager to showcase all of that development when the next one comes around.
Hawthorne, a late-blooming prospect who reached top-50 level near the conclusion of the 2025 recruiting cycle and finished at No. 33 nationally in the 247Sports rankings, has been a mystery to UK fans this season. Since last summer, rumors about his practice performances have been circulating. His skills have been praised by regular attendees of those workshops. When asked about his potential, coaches and players may shake their heads, smile, or raise their eyebrows—sometimes all three at once.
However, Hawthorne has only been visible to the general public during Kentucky’s pregame warm-ups in recent months. On game days, the 6-foot-8 wing from Beckley, West Virginia, is out there making 3-pointers and showcasing his movement and footwork, giving the few people who have been to Rupp Arena a tantalizing look at that talent. In the meantime, some followers of his voyage have expressed concern that he might not make a comeback for the 2026–2027 campaign, possibly hoping to take advantage of that possibility by using the portal prior to ever playing for the Cats.
The athlete made it plain that those concerns are unjustified. Hawthorne reminded us that, for him, this season has essentially gone according to plan. Indeed, there was a time when he arrived in Lexington during the summer and played so well that coach Mark Pope was forced to start him in games. However, redshirting became the obvious choice pretty early in the process because Hawthorne had so much to improve on and a roster that was so deep, at least until the season started.
For a competitor like Hawthorne, how tough has it been to work his tail off behind the scenes and not get the payoff of performing on gamedays? He remarked, “I wouldn’t say it’s been difficult.” “But sometimes you think, ‘Man, I was a top-50 recruit last year, and I haven’t played in a year.'” However, at that point, you only need to maintain mental toughness and focus on the objective. “And simply continue to work and improve.”
That’s precisely what these nine months have been all about. Throughout this season, Pope has discussed this path in plain words on multiple occasions. Hawthorne’s concentration on developing his own skill set has been maintained by letting him progress at his own pace without the demands of intense gameday preparation and concerns about playing time.
It’s a bit of a novel experiment in 2026. Nowadays, it is rare for a player with real NBA potential to accept a redshirt position. However, Hawthorne is a special prospect, and even with 20/20 hindsight, he demonstrated that the selected course was the right one. Hawthorne feels far more prepared to make an impression next season than he would have as a true freshman after spending almost a year in Pope’s system amid the UK basketball culture.
“I feel like it’s gonna be great,” he said. “Because I feel like I’ll be a step ahead of everybody next year, knowing the system and everything else. As soon as we get back on campus, I feel like that puts me in a great spot — just knowing everything already.”
Braydon Hawthorne, behind the scenes
Hawthorne, who turned 20 this month, reopened his recruitment last spring after a coaching change at his home state of West Virginia. Pope contacted Hawthorne as soon as he became available after attending one of his high school games, when he was playing against current UK teammate Jasper Johnson. The likelihood of a redshirt was mentioned even at the time of his pledge. Even though he made an impression during the summer and fall, that was the most sensible course of action.
Hawthorne’s frame was one important component. Once more, he is listed at 6-8 and looks every bit of it, but his slender frame was undoubtedly the first thing that caught anyone’s attention when they saw him during the previous offseason. Pope noted that adding weight and strength will be crucial to preparing Hawthorne for the competitive SEC, comparing him to the legendary Tayshaun Prince of the UK, who was thin even during his NBA career. Hawthorne then set to work. He claimed that he weighed 173 pounds at his lowest point throughout the summer. He now weighs 192 pounds. And on the court, he senses the difference.
Hawthorne remarked, “I feel like physicality has been really big for me here lately.” “I feel like since coming here, I’ve just gotten so much better as a player.” Since the start, Hawthorne has worked with a dietician and the UK’s strength and conditioning experts to prepare his body for the physical demands of playing high-major college basketball. Almost every day, he lifts weights. He has adhered to a rigorous nutrition regimen that includes eating three times a day, with multiple snacks in between, at regular intervals, and particularly right after practices and workouts. Steak, broccoli, potatoes, and rice are his favorite foods.
On the practice court, the improvements have been noticeable. He remarked, “I feel like I can initiate contact way better than I could when I got here.” Additionally, I am able to accept contact. My body has changed, and I can feel it. I’m hearing from people that I appear to be filling out a bit more. I couldn’t tell at first, but I’m beginning to get it now.
Even at the start, teammates and onlookers were in awe of the slender youngster who refused to back down from the larger men on UK’s squad and never flinched away from contact. Mouhamed Dioubate, the team’s go-to tough man, accidentally elbowed Hawthorne in the face during the preseason, causing the young player to need stitches in his lips. At the team’s October media day session, he was chuckling about it.
He said that his increased muscle and weight had made him even more hostile. His confidence hasn’t been negatively impacted by it either. When asked who had been the hardest teammate to protect this season, Hawthorne paused to reflect. “Nobody,” he smiled. When asked which defensive matchup has been the hardest, he had to admit that Otega Oweh is a challenging opponent.
“He challenges me,” Hawthorne remarked, his smile returning. “But he still can’t stop me, even though I tell him every day.” He claimed that in order to play one-on-one with the freshmen, Oweh has taken a significant amount of additional time out of his schedule. On days off and following workouts, Hawthorne works with the senior guard and preseason SEC player of the year. For the college rookie, it has made things easier, particularly in terms of understanding how to create space against one of the strongest perimeter defenders in the country and discovering fresh strategies for making good shots under duress.
Hawthorne claimed that during practice, UK coaches throw every player on the roster at him. He remarked, “I think it’s benefitted a lot.” “It’s similar to having the ball in your hands and then witnessing various looks, such as being doubled, coming off the screen, getting blitzed, and just the many strategies they throw at you. It’s gone quite well.
His role with UK basketball
When Hawthorne initially arrived on campus in June of last year, it was the hardest transition for him. It was difficult to keep up with the college level of play. The competition was the same. “You could get away with things in high school that you can’t get away with here,” he remarked. Every possession counts in this situation. You could steal a play in high school and get away with it. However, you can’t now. He began the season as one of the main rotation players, but he was moved to the scout team somewhat early as the redshirt option became more plausible.
He has portrayed a number of well-known opponents there. In the UK’s preparation for the North Carolina game in early December, he was Caleb Wilson, a predicted top-five NBA draft pick. Although the Cats lost that game, they performed a decent job of containing Wilson, and Hawthorne’s impersonation of the UNC star was commended by more seasoned colleagues. He remarked, “I didn’t like playing him.” “Because they only wanted me to go downhill, and he’s straight downhill.” He wasn’t my favorite player to play, but I can get downhill.
It was more enjoyable to assign Nate Ament of Tennessee, a 6-10 forward who prefers to play on the outside and averages about four 3-point tries each game. Prior to last week’s Texas A&M game, Hawthorne also relished the role of 6-5 guard Rylan Griffen, an even more successful long-range shooter. He remarked, “There have been a few good ones where I’ve been able to just get loose and play.” Hawthorne has alternated between a scout-team duty and a regular rotation player in practice, depending on the UK’s roster situation at various points this season.
He acknowledged that there was legitimate talk about burning his redshirt as the season progressed, particularly after Kam Williams joined Jaland Lowe and Jayden Quaintance on the sidelines due to injury, but he said he deliberately tried to avoid the fan speculation about whether he would actually play in games. Hawthorne stated that participating would still have been possible despite his own injury issues at the time, including a calf strain and a sprained ankle that kept him out for many days. Instead, he made the decision to stick with it.
He stated, “I just didn’t think that was the right thing for me to do this late in the season.” “It seems like it was too late. You never know how (it has an impact). When you enter, you have the potential to be exceptionally talented or, in a sense, to throw everything off. However, I felt that it was a bit late to stick to the original plan. It is hoped that the original concept will eventually benefit Hawthorne and the UK.
A key to Kentucky’s next roster
What insights has Hawthorne gained from his evolving behind-the-scenes role this season? “You get to get in there with the guys and feel like you’re a part of something when you’re on the second or third rotation,” he remarked. The scout squad, on the other hand, has the mentality of simply going out there and killing and attacking everyone. I absolutely enjoy it because I can be extremely aggressive and simply make my teammates angry by pursuing them.
That sentence made him chuckle aloud. It wasn’t a hollow boast. Senior guard Denzel Aberdeen told the Herald-Leader last week, “He’s still killing us in practice, every time.” “Man, he’s getting better. He is growing larger and stronger. His shot is more effective. Next year, you will likely see a lot of him. He will be fantastic. That’s the strategy.
Hawthorne, who stands 6-8, has the appearance of a fluid 3-point shooter who can play a variety of perimeter spots. He’s still slender despite the weight gain, but teammates have praised his tenacity, and his agility and instincts should enable him to fit into any area of the floor. He anticipates playing the 3 in Pope’s system, but he won’t have any positional restrictions.
“I feel like I could be anywhere between two and four,” he remarked. “Because 2 and 3 are similar.” I think I can play a little bit of 4. I think my versatility is similar to what Kam offers in terms of shooting, defense, size, length, and the ability to dribble and bring the ball up. Make plays for teammates, make reads, and so on. “I think my game works well.” He is here for that reason.
Although Hawthorne was a Kentucky fan growing up, he said that this had no bearing on his choice to enroll in the program last year. It was merely an added bonus to what he perceived as a fantastic opportunity to play under Pope’s perimeter-focused style. Throughout the season, Hawthorne and the UK coach have met one-on-one. “What a fun man. “Very enjoyable coach,” Hawthorne remarked, adding that Pope has emphasized the significance of maintaining mental focus throughout this redshirt year.
And this season, he has been handled like that. Although he hasn’t participated in any games, he has accompanied his colleagues to all of their away games. As a part of the scout squad and from the bench on game days, he has carefully observed how UK’s opponents have performed. Through this experience, he has been able to adjust to high-major college basketball, the Kentucky experience, and Pope’s style of play, all while improving at his own pace and without worrying about playing well in games. To be clear, he is eager for the chance to present itself.
Additionally, Hawthorne has spent the last nine months developing relationships with a number of teammates he hopes will play with him again next season, both on and off the court. Oweh, Aberdeen, and Quaintance—a possible NBA lottery pick—will be gone, but everyone else is still eligible, and it is anticipated that Pope will bring back a number of players for the upcoming campaign. Hawthorne, who has been referred to by teammates as the “funniest” player on the club and a ray of hope despite this season’s setbacks, has been closely observing his fellow Cats and is eager to play with them when the actual games resume in November.
Hawthorne will approach the upcoming season with a confidence that would not have been possible without what he accomplished this season, regardless of who he plays with. Without game action to verify that growth, some people may find it challenging to assess improvement. Hawthorne is aware that he has improved as a player since moving to Lexington. “I am absolutely certain,” he declared. “The game seems so much simpler. When we perform live, I feel like I battled and didn’t really know who I was when I first arrived. But I can tell now. I can definitely see a significant change.
