LEXINGTON โ A new era for Kentucky basketball is about to begin. It has been reported that England will appoint one of their former players, Mark Pope, as their next manager.
Pope, who recently completed his fifth season at BYU, will replace John Calipari. After 15 seasons with the Wildcats, Calipari left for the same position at rival school Arkansas in the SEC.
Pope became the main target for the job after two coaches who had won national titles turned down the chance to coach Great Britain.
It all started when Baylor coach Scott Drew, who was removed from consideration Thursday, reiterated his loyalty to the Bears in a memo posted on social media. Later that day, UConn's Dan Hurley, leader of the two-year national championship, also He was reportedly told by Kentucky that he would not be going to Lexington..
In five seasons with the Cougars, Pope compiled a record of 110-52 (.679). He helped the Cougars transition from the West Coast Conference to the Big 12. In the 2023-24 season, BYU's first time as a Big 12 school, it finished tied for fifth with a 10-8 record. The Cougars went 1-1 in the Big 12 Tournament, losing to Texas Tech in the quarterfinals. They were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, losing 71-67 to Duquesne.
BYU's season-by-season performance during Pope's tenure is as follows:
- 2019-20: 24 wins, 8 losses (13 wins, 3 losses West Coast Conference)
- 2020-21: 20-7 (10-3 WCC)
- 2021-22: 24-11 (9-6 WCC)
- 2022-23: 19-15 (7-9 WCC)
- 2023-24: 23-11 (10-8 Big 12)
Here are three things to know about Pope as he looks to lead UK back to fame in March after not winning an SEC Tournament title since 2018 and not advancing beyond the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2019. It is as follows.
Mark Pope's coaching and player career
Pope spent two seasons in Washington as a player before transferring to Kentucky. After missing the 1993-94 season, Pope appeared in 69 games in his final two seasons at UK, including as a member of the program's 1996 national title team. While in Lexington, he roomed with Jeff Shepherd, the father of future Wildcat Reed Shepherd.
After playing in the NBA, Pope enrolled in medical school at Columbia University.
However, he could not shake off his desire for basketball.
He served as Georgia State's director of basketball operations during the 2009-10 season before being hired as an assistant at Wake Forest. Pope spent the 2010-2011 campaign with the Demon Deacons before taking the same job at BYU.
In 2015, he took over the Utah Valley program and had his first head coaching opportunity. Pope went 77-56 in four seasons with the Wolverines before returning to Provo, Utah, to coach at BYU in 2019.
Pope has won more than 100 games with the Cougars, but March Madness wins are not included in that total.
He joined UK looking for his first NCAA Tournament win as a head coach, going 0-2 in his two appearances.
Mark Pope's salary, BYU acquisition
Pope's salary for the 2023-24 season is unknown, according to USA TODAY Sports' coaches salary database. The same goes for the amount of acquisitions that Britain puts on its books.
Because BYU is a private university, it is not subject to the same federal tax filing laws as public schools.
According to CBS Sports senior writer Matt Norlander, Pope's contract with Kentucky: 5-year contract that pays $5.5 million per season.
Mark Pope's BYU Roster, 2024 Recruiting Class
Offensive balance characterizes BYU's 2023-24 roster, which features four players with double-digit scoring averages and three players above 9.0 points: Jackson Robinson (14.2 ppg. ), Husseini Traore (10.9 points), Trevin Nel (10.6 points), Spencer Johnson (10.3 points), Richie Saunders (9.6), Noah Waterman (9.5), Darrin Hall (9.0).
The Cougars made 32.0 3-pointers per game last season, ranking second in Division I (North Florida, 33.2). BYU also led in 3-pointers per game (11.1; 3rd), assists per game (18.5; 3rd), bench points per game (33.5; 5th) and assist-to-turnover ratio. (1.73; 6th place) is also ranked in the top 10 in Japan. ).
The Cougars finished last season at No. 18 in KenPom's ranking, five spots above the Wildcats.
One BYU player has entered the transfer portal since the end of the season. Freshman Marcus Adams Jr. appeared in just one game in the 2023-24 season.
Pope named two players to the Cougars' 2024 recruiting class: three-star guard Brooks Bahr and three-star power forward Isaac Davis. His two-prospect class at BYU ranked him No. 60 nationally according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
Contact Kentucky men's basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow @RyanABlack on X.