Mark Pope says Lamont Butler has a winning DNA

Pope knows how much a veteran like Butler will help the Wildcats.

Kentucky player Lamont Butler sits for an interview during SEC Media Day at the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Mountain Brook Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. / Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kentucky has a team full of veteran transfers this season, with Travis Perry and Trent Noah being the only freshmen on the roster. Out of all of the experience on the roster, there's one player that stands out among the rest, and that's Lamont Butler.

During his time with San Diego State, Butler earned Defensive Player of the Year in the Mountain West Conference, solidified himself as one of the best defenders in the country, and came up clutch in the 2023 Final Four with a game-winning shot to head to the National Championship game. With all of that, Mark Pope knows Butler has been there and done that in college basketball, and he also knows how important it is to have someone like him on the team. He talked about that on SEC Network while at SEC Media Day on Tuesday.

"As we were kind of digging through the portal, you're trying to find the guys that you're gonna stamp you're identity on as the University of Kentucky. ...You think about all of his (Butler's) skills, he's the best defensive point guard in the country. I don't think there's any doubt about that. I've never seen a guy cross-body pick people like he does. ...You think about him as a playmaker, a physical defender, and a shot-maker right now. He's shooting the ball incredibly well for us. But, his DNA is as a winner. ...When you talk about having the real honor as a coach to see a young man's guts spilled all over the floor, about what he cares about and how much it means to him. ...When you have guys leading your team like that, you sleep really well at night."

- Pope on what Lamont Butler brings.

Butler backed that up, saying he knows he's a winner and has done things at the highest level of college basketball. He wants to keep that role and bring all of that to Lexington this season. The experienced guard talked about what Pope wanted him to bring to the team when he arrived at Kentucky.

"He just wanted me to be myself. I feel like I'm a winner at the highest level. I made it to the National Championship game, and I think that just came from being a winner, and just continue to be that for this team, and just have my role as leader for this team."

- Butler on his role at Kentucky.

Mark Pope got the perfect person to represent Kentucky and the point he wants to get across. Having someone who will do whatever it takes to win and has done it at the highest level before is the best thing you could ask for in a player.

.@CoachMarkPope and @lamont_butler1 took the stage at #SECMedia24. pic.twitter.com/9u7bDbPBSP

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) October 15, 2024