Kentucky head coach Mark Pope attributed center Amari Williams’ big performance — 8 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks and a steal — in the 3-seed Wildcats’ 84-75 win over 6-seed Illinois on Sunday to Weetabix, a shredded wheat cereal his parents forced him to eat while growing up in Nottingham, England.
Williams ate only toast for breakfast the other day, and Kentucky’s staff didn’t think it was enough, so they found an international grocery store in Milwaukee that sold Weetabix. Pope and forward Brandon Garrison also ate it, and Pope said it will be served as a mandatory team breakfast this week.
Pope wants Williams to land an NIL deal with Weetabix, and so do his teammates. When asked how it tastes, Williams initially replied, “It doesn’t taste too bad.” After teammate Lamont Butler elbowed Williams, he revised his answer: “It tastes amazing.”
Coach Pope says Amari Williams’ secret to success is his childhood breakfast, Weetabix 🥣😂#MarchMadness @KentuckyMBB pic.twitter.com/3qb5b6hvxF
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2025
“The Weetabix were extraordinary, actually,” Pope added. “It comes in a biscuit that looks very un-tasteful, but I learned you crumble it up into tiny little things, and then you put some warm milk. The warm milk is key. … And then Amari gave me permission to put some sugar on it. … And it was actually fantastic. I like it so much more right now than I did this morning.”
The Wildcats are back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019 and will face the No. 2 seed Tennessee Volunteers, whom they beat twice in the regular season.