Lamont Butler Reflects on Kentucky, Toughness, and a Season That’s Finally Finding Its Edge
Lamont Butler wasn’t the flashiest player to suit up for Kentucky, but he was the kind of guy every coach wants and every teammate respects. Whether he was healthy, banged up, or gutting it out through injury, Butler brought the kind of heart and grit that doesn’t show up in box scores - but wins you games when it matters most. You don’t hit a Final Four buzzer-beater without that kind of DNA.
That’s why the early stretch of this season felt so off. In Year 2 under Mark Pope, the Wildcats were missing more than just shots - they were missing that edge, that fight, that sense of unity that defined last season’s group.
The passion? Absent.
The toughness? Lacking.
It just didn’t feel like Kentucky basketball.
Then came the Indiana game.
It wasn’t pretty - far from it, offensively. But it was a win that meant more than just the final score.
The Wildcats gritted out a 12-point victory in a game where style points were nowhere to be found. What they did find was their identity.
Defense, hustle, energy - the kind of effort Big Blue Nation had been waiting to see.
And watching from the sidelines, Lamont Butler couldn’t have been prouder.
“I feel like the energy was there,” Butler said during a call-in to Pope’s radio show. “The energy and effort from everybody was really high.
I think Mo Dioubate did a great job of bringing that toughness and effort. I think he kind of just - everybody kind of followed along.”
That’s the thing about teams that figure it out. Sometimes it just takes one guy to bring the juice, and the rest falls into place.
Dioubate brought the spark, and the rest of the roster followed suit. Butler also gave a shoutout to BG - likely referring to Brandon Garrison - who bounced back in a big way after some earlier struggles.
“Everybody - it was a team effort,” Butler added. “And that’s what it’s gonna take all year, every game.
People don’t understand how hard it is to win a college basketball game. You need the whole team, everybody hitting on the right cylinders, everybody going toward the same goal.
I think it’s turning out really well for the team.”
Let’s be clear: it is finally turning out well. Because for a while, that cohesion and chemistry just weren’t there.
Now, with a signature win under their belt, the Wildcats are starting to look like themselves again - just in time for a high-profile showdown with Rick Pitino and St. John’s in Catlanta.
That’s not just another game - it’s Pope squaring off against his former coach, and a chance to give Kentucky fans an early holiday gift.
Catlanta’s been kind to this program before. Last year, it was the site of Pope’s first big statement win - a gutsy victory over Duke in the Champions Classic. It was only the third game of the season, but it set the tone for what was to come: a year that tied an NCAA record for top-15 wins and ended in the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance since 2019.
“That might be one of my favorite games I played as a Kentucky Wildcat,” Butler said, reflecting on that Duke win. “We were down at halftime and we got down in the second half, and then we just kind of rallied together and took the game over, got the win. Otega (Oweh) had the big steal at the end and free throws, Andrew (Carr) played his butt off.”
It wasn’t just the result - it was the moment. For Butler, who grew up watching Kentucky-Duke battles as a fan, being part of one - and winning it - was unforgettable.
“I think I remember I went up to my dad after and it was just a surreal moment being able to play in a big-time Kentucky versus Duke game, one that I watched so many times as a kid,” he said. “To be a part of it and come on the winning side, it was just a bittersweet moment.”
Butler’s time in Lexington lasted just a season, but it left a lasting mark - both on him and the program. He’s currently recovering from a torn ACL in his rookie pro season, but the love from the Kentucky fanbase hasn’t wavered. That’s something he doesn’t take for granted.
“Man, it meant the world,” Butler said of his time at Kentucky. “It’s an experience that I always tell people, there’s nothing like it.
You can’t really get that anywhere, you have to just be a part of it. From the fan standpoint, the love that they showed from day one when I committed to even now, while I’m away dealing with this injury.
Just the love that you get every day is amazing, something that a lot of other fan bases don’t give to their teams.”
Coming off a legendary March Madness run with San Diego State, Butler didn’t need to prove anything. But earning a scholarship at Kentucky, joining a blue-blood program with a wall full of banners and a roster full of future pros? That was validation that he could do it at the highest level.
“Just the history of it and being able to cement ourselves in that history, it was a really great time being able to be with my teammates every day,” Butler said. “That was probably the most fun part, just being with them, grinding through the season, the hotel rooms, where we’re just all laughing, times we’re just hanging out.”
For Butler, it was more than basketball. It was a full-circle moment - a dream realized, a legacy built, and memories that’ll last long after the final buzzer.
“It was just a surreal moment for me, and something I’ll always be grateful for.”
And based on how Big Blue Nation continues to support him, the feeling is mutual.