Mark Pope is going to have to replace a lot of great players from the Wildcats 2024-25 roster, but one player that will be the toughest to replace is Lamont Butler. Butler was one of the best on-ball defenders in all of college basketball and had the best offensive season of his career this year in Lexington.

If you asked Mark Pope to write a book on Lamont Butler, you’d better be prepared for 500 pages of nothing but kind words and plenty of hyperbole. There’s often a unique bond between head coach and point guard — one that’s slightly different than what a coach shares with the rest of the roster.

Lamont Butler and Mark Pope shared an exchange of emotion after Kentucky's loss to Tennessee in the Sweet 16 on Friday.