Mark Pope addresses lack of accolades for a Kentucky head coach
Mark Pope is well-aware he doesn’t boast the typical résumé of a Kentucky head coaching hire. However, he’s ready to earn the accolades on the job. During an appearance on “The Paul Finebaum Show,” Pope revealed what it takes to become Kentucky’s head coach.
“If you ask me or any former player and anybody in the fan base, you’d say, ‘Well, they better have at least five national championships under their belt because that’s what this job is,'” Pope said. “Clearly, that’s not on my résumé.
“I think there is just that going through the process. It is a process that the University of Kentucky hasn’t gone through in 15 years. So, it was a really important part of the state and Kentucky fans everywhere to kind of like digest what was happening.”
Kentucky fans digested it, and weren’t afraid to show their support. For Pope’s introductory press conference on April 14, Big Blue Nation filled Rupp Arena, which has a capacity of 23,500. Over 5,000 fans were reportedly turned away from the event due to the venue being full.
Despite Kentucky fans’ vigor, it’s undeniable Pope’s coaching résumé is underwhelming compared to past hires. BYU finished this past season with a a 23-11 overall record, including a 10-8 mark in the Big 12. In total, the Cougars recorded a 110-52 record in Pope’s five seasons at the helm of the program.
However, the program was never able to win an NCAA Tournament game under Pope despite reaching the Big Dance twice. This past season, BYU suffered a season-ending loss to Duquesne in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Mark Pope ready to reach milestones at Kentucky
Nonetheless, Pope has one bullet point on his résumé that will carry him a long way with Kentucky fans. He was a captain on UK’s team that won the national championship in 1996. Now, he wants to be the head coach when Kentucky raises another banner.
During his introductory press conference, Pope wasn’t afraid to make massive promises.
“There’s one other way where I want to blow up this press conference and I’m going to get crushed for doing this,” Pope prefaced. “Every coach in America at every other job in America stands up in their press conference and they try and moderate expectations. We don’t do that here at Kentucky.
“As we go through this journey, we’re here to win banners in Nashville because you guys turn out in Nashville like nobody else and that matters,” Pope contined. “Our job here, our assignment is go win banners in Final Fours, win national championships. That’s our job.”