Kentucky Coach Sees Similarities Between Current and Past Wildcats Stars

Mark Pope compares Otega Oweh and Collin Chandler to former UK teammates Antoine Walker and Jeff Sheppard

Published on Feb. 9, 2026

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Kentucky head coach Mark Pope sees parallels between two of his current players, Otega Oweh and Collin Chandler, and a couple of his former teammates from Kentucky's 1995-96 national championship team. Pope compared Oweh's impact on the game to that of three-time NBA All-Star Antoine Walker, while he sees Chandler's clutch play and willingness to take big shots reminiscent of 1998 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Jeff Sheppard.

Why it matters

Pope's comparisons highlight the talent and potential of Oweh and Chandler, two key contributors on this year's Kentucky team. If they can follow in the footsteps of Walker and Sheppard by helping lead Kentucky to a national title, it would cement their legacies as Wildcat greats.

The details

Pope said Oweh and Walker have "different skillsets, different personalities," but he sees similarities in their ability to impact the game. As for Chandler, Pope recalled a story from 1995-96 when then-freshman Jeff Sheppard turned down a play call from coach Rick Pitino in a big game, only to hit a last-second shot. Pitino praised Sheppard's courage, and Pope sees that same mentality in Chandler, who has hit several clutch shots for Kentucky this season.

  • In the 1995-96 season, Jeff Sheppard was a sophomore on Kentucky's national championship team.
  • In 1998, Jeff Sheppard was named the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player after helping Kentucky win the national title.

The players

Otega Oweh

A 6-foot-4 guard who was recently named SEC Player of the Week for Kentucky.

Collin Chandler

A sophomore guard for Kentucky who has hit several clutch shots for the Wildcats this season.

Antoine Walker

A former Kentucky player who went on to become a three-time NBA All-Star.

Jeff Sheppard

A former Kentucky player who was the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player in 1998 when the Wildcats won the national championship.

Rick Pitino

The head coach of Kentucky's 1995-96 national championship team.

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What they’re saying

“There's something similar between Otega Oweh and Antoine Walker. There's just something similar in terms of their impact on the game and their reliability, especially as Antoine got a little bit older... It's more of some type of feel of impact on the game than it is specific, but there's some similarity there.”

— Mark Pope, Kentucky Head Coach (on3.com)

“If you ever turn down a play call ever. You'll walk all the way back to Peachtree, Georgia, and you will never wear this jersey again... And I love the fact that you had the courage to do it.”

— Rick Pitino, Former Kentucky Head Coach (on3.com)

“There's something about this Collin Chandler that is like, let me go. Let me go take the moment. Let me go do it.”

— Mark Pope, Kentucky Head Coach (on3.com)

What’s next

If Oweh and Chandler can help lead Kentucky to a national championship, as Walker and Sheppard did in their time, it would cement their legacies as Wildcat greats.

The takeaway

Mark Pope's comparisons of current Kentucky stars Otega Oweh and Collin Chandler to past Wildcat legends Antoine Walker and Jeff Sheppard show the high potential of this year's Kentucky team, and the opportunity for Oweh and Chandler to follow in the footsteps of national champions.