LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) – Initially unknown to some of Kentucky's coaching targets, Mark Pope is now charged with maintaining the program's gold standard.
Of course he helped do that as a player.
Kentucky has hired a BYU coach to lead its men's basketball program, bringing back the captain of the Wildcats' 1996 national championship team to replace John Calipari.
The school announced the hiring of Pope, 51, in a release Friday morning, but did not discuss contract details. He is scheduled to be introduced at a press conference Sunday afternoon at Rupp Arena.
Pope replaces Calipari, a Hall of Famer who made four Final Four appearances in 15 years and led Kentucky to its eighth NCAA title in 2012. Kentucky hasn't been back since 2015, when they went 38-1. Mr. Calipari resigned on Tuesday; Introduced as coach of Arkansas the next day.
Pope went 110-52 in five seasons with the Cougars and 23-11 in his first season in the Big 12 Conference. BYU also made his second NCAA Tournament appearance in his four years under Pope.
He went 77-56 in his previous four seasons with Utah Valley, leading the Wolverines to back-to-back Western Athletic Conference runner-up finishes the last two years. They both advanced to the CBI quarterfinals.
Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart cited Pope's impressive 187-108 record as head coach and keen knowledge of what the program means to the state. The AD also praised Pope's “dynamic” up-tempo offense and tough defense, calling him an innovator.
“He is a strong recruiter with international connections and a man of integrity,” Barnhart said. “He fully buys into our high expectations and standards and is eager to join what promises to be an exciting ride as our fans reacquaint themselves with Mark.” You would think so.”
Pope said he understands the expectations of taking over a championship college basketball program and the high expectations that come with it.
“It's the definition of a blue blood program that you're expected to put up a banner every year,” Pope said. “Just as importantly, Britain has changed my life as a person forever. My love and passion for this program, this university and the people of the Commonwealth runs deep in my soul. I can feel it.”
Pope's appointment is quite surprising considering his name has been mentioned as a potential coach for Kentucky. But Baylor's Scott Drew and UW's Dan Hurley, both of whom led their schools to NCAA titles, declined the offer Thursday. Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan, who was an assistant at Kentucky on the championship team before leading Florida to back-to-back NCAA titles, reiterated his commitment to the NBA.
After two first-round losses in the past three seasons under Calipari, Pope faces his biggest challenge: getting his alma mater back into national title contention. Kentucky's last deep NCAA tournament was in 2019, when the team lost to SEC rival Auburn in the Elite Eight.
St. John's coach Rick Pitino, a Hall of Famer who led the University of Kentucky to the 1996 championship through NCAA sanctions, believes the school has found the right candidate, and Pope said, It's going to be great, too.”
“You have one of the best young coaches in this game. He's going to make you proud, so enjoy it,” Pitino said in a video he posted. Social media. “I'm sitting here in St. John's today, and I couldn't be more proud to watch Mark Pope lead the Kentucky Wildcats to another championship. He's going to do it. I own some stocks.”
Pope's first task will be to rebuild a roster that already lost guards Rob Dillingham and 7-foot-1 Aaron Bradshaw to the NBA Draft and Adu Tierro to the transfer portal. Several other players appear likely to follow Calipari to Arkansas, but several All-American signees have re-committed.
Even if he settles in at Kentucky, Pope's offensive philosophy reflects the energetic approach that helped the Wildcats rank second in the nation with 89 points per game last season.
BYU wasn't far behind, averaging 81.4 points to top the Big 12 and earn the ranking. 22nd nationally. The Cougars were third in 3-pointers made (11.1), assists per game (18.5) and sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.73).They ranked up to 12th place AP top 25 On January 1st, they defeated the Las Vegas Showdown in non-conference action with a 12-1 record.
Defensively, BYU tied for 104th out of 351 Division I teams in scoring with nearly 70 points per game and ranked 26th in rebounds with 39.5.
BYU Athletic Director Tom Holmoe thanked the pope In a post to X, he said he “left the program in a strong position moving forward.”
As a player, Pope led Kentucky in the 1994-95 season with 6.3 rebounds per game and was named to the Southeastern Conference All-Tournament team along with MVP Antoine Walker.
Pope played in the NBA from 1998 to 2005 with the Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Denver Nuggets.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-Basketball