Mark Pope describes what he has learned about Kentucky job a year later

Mark Pope finished his first year as the Kentucky men’s basketball coach having led the Wildcats to its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2019, including a 24-12 overall record and 10 wins against SEC competition. In the eyes of many, they would say year one of the Pope era in Lexington was a success.

Coming in, however, Pope had never experienced coaching in the spotlight like he did at his alma mater this past season. Speaking with CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein in a recent interview, Pope revealed what he has learned most about the Kentucky job since taking the position last offseason.

“I think I had a really good sense of what this was before I got here,” Pope explained. “It’s a one of one. It’s the greatest fan base, the most demanding, the most keyed-in fan base, maybe in all of sports.

“It feels like everybody in BBN knows what I’m doing before I even do it on a daily basis. It is the greatest gift, certainly in my professional career, to be able to be here and serve these people and try and lead this group.”

When Pope decided to leave BYU and take the Kentucky job last season, he had never won an NCAA Tournament game. He had been a head coach for 10 years at both Utah Valley and BYU, but has been in the coaching industry since 2009. Pope came into Lexington, with a roster he built from scratch, and won the first two NCAA Tournament games of his career.

Pope took over for outgoing head coach John Calipari, who left Lexington in favor of the Arkansas Razorbacks. When Calipari left, so did every scholarship athlete he brought to the program. Whether they left for the NBA Draft, the transfer portal, or followed him to Fayetteville, Pope was forced to utilize the transfer portal himself to piece together his first-ever team.

In the end, that team finished in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, ultimately falling to rival Tennessee in the Sweet 16. The Wildcats defeated the Volunteers twice in the regular season before ending Pope’s first season as head coach in Indianapolis.

Mark Pope has already hit the ground running for next season’s roster. Kentucky boasts one of the top transfer portal classes in the country featuring Kam Williams, Jaland Lowe, Mouhamed Dioubate, Jayden Quaintance, Andrija Jelavic and Denzel Aberdeen.

Moreover, Brandon Garrison, Trent Noah and Collin Chandler are all returning from last year’s squad. Otega Oweh, the team’s leading scorer from last year, is still undecided on his plans for next year. They’re also bringing in a pair of top-30 recruits — both from Kentucky — in Malachi Moreno and Jasper Johnson.