Kentucky basketball will have one of its best players in Mark Pope's first year as the program's head coach returning for at least another season, as reported by Joe Tipton on On3.

“Brandon Garrison is returning to Kentucky next season, source told @On3sports. The 6-10 sophomore forward averaged 5.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game this season,” Tipton shared in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday night.

This is significant news for Kentucky basketball, considering the role Garrison played for the Wildcats in the 2024-25 college basketball season.

The 6-11 forward-center, who transferred from the Oklahoma State Cowboys, averaged just 5.9 points and 3.9 rebounds through 35 games and did not record a start in the last campaign but when he's on the floor, he largely provided a positive impact for the team, especially on the defensive side of the floor. The Wildcats had a defensive rating of 106.5 last season but Garrison managed to limit opponents to 104.5 points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor.

During his freshman year with the Cowboys, Garrison averaged 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 32 games, while starting in 29 of those contests.

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Garrison's decision to keep going with the Wildcats can be viewed as another win for Pope, who triggered an automatic one-year contract extension by leading Kentucky basketball to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, which also comes with a huge pay raise of $250,000.

After a year of serving as a producer off the bench, Garrison could have a chance to earn bigger responsibilities for Kentucky basketball. He showed his worth for the team during an excellent outing in the recently concluded NCAA Tournament, scoring 13 points, grabbing six rebounds and adding two assists with two steals in just 16 minutes of action to help the Wildcats come away with a 76-57 victory over the Troy Trojans in the first round.

He had eight points on 3-for-10 shooting with five rebounds and three assists in the next two games in the Big Dance, including in Kentucky basketball's 78-65 Sweet 16 loss at the hands of the Tennessee Volunteers.

Garrison also announced his return to Lexington via a post on social media, sharing a video of some of his moments last season with a caption that read “😉#unfinishedbusiness.”