Brandon Garrison often knows his mom has arrived in Kentucky after her flight from Oklahoma before he ever lays eyes on her.
All he has to do is open the door to his place.
“I come back and my house is clean, food is ready, laundry’s getting washed and folded,” he said.
He chuckled.
“Things like that I just appreciate and love when she comes here.”
Last spring after Oklahoma State fired men’s basketball coach Mike Boynton, Garrison faced several decisions. Should the big man from Del City High School stay in Stillwater or enter the transfer portal? And if he entered the portal, should he remain close to home — and more importantly, close to his mom, Toni Lewis — or go somewhere she might not be able to hop in the car and get to quickly?
He ultimately chose to leave OSU and transfer to Kentucky, but on Wednesday night, he returns home as Kentucky plays at OU (8 p.m. tipoff on the SEC Network). He is coming back to his home state knowing he made the right decision to leave it.
Sure, he’s no longer starting; unlike his freshman season with the Cowboys, the Wildcats have Garrison coming off the bench. Yes, there have been growing pains as he adjusts to Kentucky coach Mark Pope’s fast-paced, shooter-friendly offense.
“He’s still young,” Garrison’s high school coach Lenny Hatchett said, mentioning Garrison is a young sophomore at 19 years old. “He’s still trying to figure things out.”
But every time Hatchett talks with him on the phone after games, there’s excitement in Garrison’s voice.
He went to Kentucky to be challenged, after all.
After entering the transfer portal, Garrison heard from lots of interested schools. They were intrigued by his 6-foot-10, 250-pound frame and freshman averages (7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks).
OU tried to snag him. Ditto for Texas and Arkansas.
But his mom had a message for him early on.
“You don’t have to worry about how close or how far,” he remembers her saying.
“It’s just what fits you.
“Don’t be afraid to be homesick.”
She promised to visit often, and that eased his mind.
“That had a big factor in it,” Garrison said.
And as he and those closest to him considered his offers, it became increasingly clear to them that Kentucky was the best option. It had a strong pedigree and history, a great track record of sending players to the pros, and Pope was bringing in a style that could play into Garrison’s athleticism while also improving his shooting.
Kentucky had a name, image and likeness package that was hard to beat, too. It would allow Garrison’s mom to make those regular trips to Lexington while also giving him a chance to do nice things for her.
Last summer, Garrison bought Lewis a BMW.
On the court, Garrison is also showing signs of growth. A couple of weeks ago, he had the best game of the season, scoring 15 points and going 7 of 8 from the floor, including hitting 1 of 2 shots from behind the arc.
Garrison attempted a grand total of zero 3-pointers at OSU.
“The game is evolving,” he said.
“Bigs are shooting 3s now, taking people off the dribble, so just staying in the lab and just doing little things like that so I can have a 3-point shot at the next level.”
Garrison credits Kentucky assistant Mikhail McLean for working on outside shooting after practice and during off days.
Pope, who promised Garrison while recruiting him to Kentucky that they’d expand his offense, gets a nod, too. Pope hasn’t given Garrison a blanket green light but has provided opportunities for him to use that expanded range.
“Allowing me to step outside my box and knock down the 3 and just giving me the confidence to shoot the 3… he’s helping me reach my goals one step at a time,” Garrison said.
In truth, Garrison wishes he’d never had to leave OSU or his home state to accomplish this or anything else. He was tight with Boynton.
“Boynton was in our gym all the time,” Hatchett said of Del City High School.
“It wasn’t just him. It was his staff. You could tell they had a relationship, and Brandon was really, really attached to him and really, really felt comfortable playing for him.
“Once he was released, it kind of let Brandon know it’s more of a business.”
Garrison realized he had to make a business decision for himself, and when his inner circle, including his family and his agents, told him they thought Kentucky was the move, Garrison could only smile.
He thought the Wildcats were the right choice, too.
He still feels that way, and being able to have his mom visit regularly — “My mom’s down here, like, every other week,” he said — has made the transition even smoother. She can make sure he’s doing OK, and he can ask her to make her smothered chicken and rice, his favorite home-cooked meal.
“Everything,” he said, “worked out.”
