Mark Pope to Kentucky.
The news went over like a lead balloon in Lexington and Provo.
In Lexington, they aren’t used to having their basketball coaching job turned down a myriad times and be handed to a coach who was one-and-done in the NCAA Tournament in March.
In Provo, fans loved Pope, he was their man. He had personality, a dream and he could recruit. They adopted the former Washington and Kentucky player as one of their own and expected he’d be around next season.
But really folks, who shouldn’t be happy for Pope, a semifinalist for the national coach of the year after an impressive first season in the Big 12 with a win at Kansas and wins over half a dozen teams that went deep in the Big Dance.
Pope’s team defeated North Carolina State, which was in this year’s Final Four and San Diego State, which played for the national championship in 2023.
This is a huge opportunity for Pope.
At Kentucky, he’ll have something he did not have at BYU: unlimited resources, and out-of-sight NIL.
Kentucky is a dream job for a former player like Pope. I bet his old Kentucky coach Rick Pitino burned up the phone lines selling him to Kentucky’s administration and boosters.
In Lexington, a place that draws 20,000-plus fans at Rupp Arena for Midnight Madness, Pope will gain another passionate fan base to give him all the emotional fuel he can handle — both good and bad.
If he thought Cougarboard could get nasty with the second-guessing and criticism, in Lexington, he’ll encounter a nuclear level of fan engagement.
Pope knows this.
And he’s taking it all on.
Good for Pope.
He will do very well at Kentucky — far better than Wildcat fans expect.
Why?
Because he did very well at BYU, especially this past season in the Big 12 with a win over Baylor, a win at Kansas, a win against Iowa State, and a chance to beat Houston in the final minute in Provo.
It is far easier for Pope to recruit at Kentucky than at BYU with its honor code, entrance requirements and academics.
Pope recruited and signed four-star Collin Chandler from Farmington High in Utah, who is expected to return from his two-year church mission in a few weeks. Chandler is the highest-ranked recruit in school history at a school with two Naismith Award Winners in Danny Ainge and Jimmer Fredette and a Hall of Famer in Kresimir Cosic.
At Kentucky, Pope can get 10 Chandlers. Oh, they may be one-and-done players, but he will get in the homes, sell Kentucky and get his share of top talent — he is that good of a salesman when his heart is set on the product he’s peddling. And Pope’s heart is set on his Wildcat blood and roots.
As good as John Calipari and Rick Pitino are with media interviews and press rooms, Kentucky fans will find that Pope is more entertaining. He is articulate, sometimes over the top in his enthusiasm, and extremely insightful in how he breaks down challenges, players and games. It will be refreshing for them, and they really don’t know much about this right now.
Mark Pope put one of the most entertaining teams in the country on the floor this past season, a squad that ranked near the top in 3-point shooting in attempts and makes. They played hard, Pitino-style defense and they put relentless effort into rebounding.
Leave a Reply