On Sunday night inside the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, there wasn’t much activity in Kentucky’s locker room. For Mark Pope’s Cats, a disappointing 2025–26 season had just come to an ugly conclusion. Despite the absence of Cyclones star forward Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State easily defeated Kentucky 82-63 in an NCAA Tournament second-round match.
There were somber tones and dejected looks as UK players talked about the previous season all around the room. Aside from one participant. In the moments after this UK season ended, freshman Braydon Hawthorne excitedly spoke to the Herald-Leader.
That was due to a valid reason. Hawthorne, a 6-foot-8 forward who joined the UK’s 2025 high school recruiting group late, has officially finished his redshirt year. Hawthorne will be recording actual game minutes for Pope’s program the next time Kentucky supporters see him.
“It has been special,” Hawthorne said of his redshirt season. “… At first, kind of frustrating, but then you realize you can make it positive with changing your mindset. Just thinking about it as a way to get better… A lot of people complain, but I feel like that’s what I did better than other people. Just trying to stay positive and do everything to the best of my ability to just get ready for this next year.”
Hawthorne claimed he improved in every facet of his game during this formative year, including shooting, rebounding, and every other basketball talent. Hawthorne said that practice sessions during this redshirt year helped him improve. Before joining UK’s scout team early in his freshman year, Hawthorne practiced with the team’s regular rotation players. There, he imitated the playing style of the best players Kentucky faced during its 36-game campaign.
Hawthorne remarked, “I feel like I picked up a lot of tendencies and stuff from the different coverages they’ll throw in on practice and stuff like that.” For the 20-year-old, Hawthorne’s body has also seen noticeable transformation. He claimed that working with the UK’s strength and conditioning team helped him go from 173 points to 192 pounds.
“I’ve got a great relationship with everyone in the locker room, all the coaches and things like that,” Hawthorne said. “I feel like that’s a big thing. Like as my relationship grew, the more I opened up and felt more confident in myself to play good in practice… and just be a good teammate.”
The Kentucky basketball team’s roster for the upcoming season is far from certain. The best projections anyone can make regarding who will or won’t be a Cat next season at this point in time, given the state of collegiate basketball. However, Hawthorne’s return to Lexington is almost a certain. Additionally, Hawthorne gave a lengthy speech on Sunday regarding his plans for the upcoming season, which is expected to be crucial for Pope as Kentucky’s coach.
“This summer will be really significant for me. Hawthorne stated, “I’m hoping to improve even more.” “I want to be unstoppable when I arrive next year. That’s what I want. I want no one to stand in my way.
What will Hawthorne’s summer look like? “Just working on small details and stuff,” he said. “I feel like I’m growing into myself more, but I just need to polish up little things and obviously continue to grow my body. That’s really it.”
Hawthorne’s route to a redshirt season at the UK was convoluted. The late-rising West Virginia high school recruit was a childhood UK devotee who had attended the program’s summer camps in Lexington. Hawthorne was looking for a new college last spring after his first commitment to his home state Mountaineers fell apart due to a coaching change. At that point, Pope convinced Hawthorne to commit to Kentucky instead of teams like Duke, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia’s new coaching staff.
Hawthorne, who was ranked No. 115 nationally in the class by the 247Sports Composite at the end of the 2025 recruiting cycle, described his college basketball career to date as “nothing but a blessing.” Hawthorne’s playmaking skills and long-term potential have been praised by Pope and others in recent months. Hawthorne didn’t shy away from those expectations Sunday.
“I don’t think people are aware of my abilities because they weren’t present this year. However, next year will be a lot of fun,” Hawthorne remarked. During his redshirt season, Hawthorne adhered to a customized plan in an effort to position himself for success the following season. However, this also meant that Hawthorne did not receive any in-game rewards during his whole season at Kentucky. He will now play his first game for the Cats in just a few months.
He claimed that he hadn’t spent much time daydreaming about the day when the Rupp Arena audience would eventually hear his name or when he would finally be able to take off his shooting jersey and make his UK debut. However, Hawthorne realized a moment later that his ambition of playing collegiate basketball was finally within reach. Hawthorne remarked, “I’m beginning to realize that this redshirt season is over.” “Going out there and just doing what I can to help the team win is going to be fun.”
