What a day April 14 was to be a Wildcats fan. The University of Kentucky (UK) introduced their new men’s basketball head coach, Mark Pope, after hiring him two days earlier. Pope came from BYU, where he saw just as much tournament success as the Wildcats. I’ll be honest and say that he was not the first person I had in mind to fill the vacancy of former HC John Calipari. I didn’t even get a chance to speculate on who could fill that role, as it was only a few days after Calipari himself left for Arkansas. My guy was probably Billy Donovan, while other fans/students I talked to also seemed to have choices that didn’t tend to be Mark Pope. With that being said, I like the hire for the Wildcats. If there’s one thing Kentucky needed after Coach Cal resigned, it was a coach who wanted to be here. I think that was the intent of our Athletic Director (Mitch Barnhart), which is probably why he quickly locked in on Pope as his new HC.
Photo Cred: The Courier-Journal
“Attending that press conference was the greatest moment I’ve had being a Kentucky fan,” said a friend who is a diehard fan of the team. Many others who I have talked to expressed the same sentiment. A few things Pope should bring to UK will be his incredible charisma, pride, and joy. In terms of philosophy and style of play, he focuses on flexibility and versatility. Notably, he wants his players to put up a shot within 14 seconds of the shot clock as well as aim for 35 three-pointers per game. I think Barnhart is banking on the storied history of our college basketball program and hoping that it, in addition to Pope’s charisma, will be enough to offset the inevitable loss of master recruiter John Calipari. It’s a bold strategy if Barnhart and Pope play their cards right, and I think it’s worked so far!
The Coaching Effect on Transfers
The loss of Coach Cal was in full effect when big man Zvonimir Ivisic, better known as Big Z, announced that he would be decommitting from Kentucky to head to Arkansas. While disappointing, Z’s move was unsurprising. In addition, guards Adou Thiero and D.J. Wagner also made the move to Ark. alongside Big Z. UK fans should not be too upset about losing Calipari’s guys, though. Mark Pope brought G Jaxson Robinson and SG Collin Chandler, who flipped his commitment from the Cougars, with him. Our incoming transfers were filled with experience, as we added six graduate student seniors, a senior, and a junior. The Wildcats also added two local freshmen, PG Travis Perry and SG Trent Noah, as a part of our 2024 commitments.
Photo Cred: On3.com (L- Pope, R- Robinson)
How Has the 2024 Season Gone So Far?
Pope has definitely deserved the chance to show what he can do as head coach of the Wildcats. Kentucky is 10-1 so far, which included an undefeated month of November. We’re currently ranked No. 4 in the nation, managing more than 80 points in eight games and winning by double digits in seven of them. A win over then-No. 6 Duke in the Champions Classic vaulted us into the top 10. The Wildcats followed the victory by hosting, and winning, the BBN Invitational that featured Lipscomb, Jackson State, and Western Kentucky.
Photo Cred: The Courier-Journal
December has been tougher for UK, as they lost 70-66 to Clemson in the ACC-SEC Challenge. Four days later, Kentucky had to go to overtime in the Battle in Seattle to knock off then-No. 7 Gonzaga by one point. The Battle of the Bluegrass matchup against Louisville five days ago was just an eight-point victory, despite the Cardinals only leading once the entire game. We do have one big non-conference matchup remaining: the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden, where we take on Ohio State. The game will start at 5:30 PM Eastern today. The Wildcats’ SEC regular season will kick off with a rivalry game at home against Florida on Jan. 4.
How Are the Players Doing?
Junior guard Otega Oweh, who joined us from Oklahoma, leads the team in points (15.7) and steals (1.4). Graduate student center Amari Williams, previously of Drexel, leads with 9.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. Graduate student guard Lamont Butler (San Diego State) has 4.1 assists and a 60.8 FG shooting percentage for us. Senior forward Ansley Almonor (Farleigh Dickinson) is the only player shooting 90% or better on free throws, with a minimum of 10 minutes played per game. Lastly, graduate student guard Koby Brea (Dayton) is by far our best three-point shooter, with a 53.1 percentage.
Photo Cred: A Sea Of Blue (Williams)
Some fans were worried about the lack of tournament success Pope had at BYU. In his five seasons in charge, he failed to make it to March Madness thrice and lost in the first round the other two times. While the Cougars made it to the NIT in the 2021-22 season, they were bounced out in the quarterfinals. However, with a clean slate and the drive to succeed, he’s someone who knows what an honor it is to get a job like this one. I am confident in his success and do think he is the right man to lead UK. Welcome home, Mark Pope!
