Mark Pope describes his life since taking Kentucky job
It’s been just over a month since Kentucky officially named Mark Pope its next men’s basketball head coach. During an appearance on “College Hoops Today with Jon Rothstein,” Pope revealed how life has been since he accepted the job.
“If you’re a little bit of an adrenaline junkie and you love this game and college basketball coaching, then it’s heaven,” Pope said. “You’re gonna hear this from me until you just get sick of it, but this is basketball heaven. It just is.
“It’s almost unthinkable to think that you get an opportunity to come here to the University of Kentucky and take a swing at it. It’s exhausting and draining and exhilarating and overwhelming and the list is endless. And, it’s also like family and home.”
Since Pope took the reins, Kentucky has added Amari Williams (Drexel), Lamont Butler (San Diego State), Otega Oweh (Oklahoma), Andrew Carr (Wake Forest) and Brandon Garrison (Oklahoma State), Koby Brea (Dayton) and Kerr Kriisa (West Virginia) via the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Additionally, Pope secured commitments from 2022 four-star Collin Chandler, who is returning to college basketball after spending two years on a mission trip, and 2024 three-star Trent Noah, who initially committed to South Carolina.
To pile on, Pope reconfirmed 2024 four-star Travis Perry’s commitment to the program. Perry is the all-time leading scorer in Kentucky high school basketball history. With four spots left to fill on the roster, Pope’s adrenaline-filled race to the finish line isn’t over yet.
Mark Pope is not done yet
In April, Pope pulled back the curtain on the program’s roster construction during an appearance on Kentucky Sports Radio.
“I’m really excited about where we are today,” Pope said. “It’s very artistic. It’s puzzle pieces. Every new piece kind of changes the picture, where you have to readjust and see what you’re looking for in the next piece.
“I’m elated with where we are right now,” Pope continued. “We got a ton of work to do. We feel like we’re really close in a lot of areas. I feel like we spend an inordinate amount of time [together] as a staff — late nights, early mornings.”
Kentucky is reportedly in contact with transfers Chaz Lanier (North Florida), Wooga Poplar (Miami) and, most notably, Jaxson Robinson (BYU). Robinson spent two seasons under Pope at BYU and was named the 2024 Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year.
All three of the mentioned targets are currently participating in the NBA Draft process and will make a decision on their future soon. Until then, Mark Pope will be working dilligently to prepare for his debut campaign at the helm of the ‘Cats.