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Mark Pope passionate on traits needed to succeed at Kentucky

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby: Grant Grubbs05/26/25grant_grubbs_
Kentucky Head Coach Mark Pope is seen during the first half of their first round NCAA men’ s basketball tournament game against Troy on Friday March 21, 2025 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis. - © Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Kentucky Head Coach Mark Pope is seen during the first half of their first round NCAA men’ s basketball tournament game against Troy on Friday March 21, 2025 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis. - © Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Mark Pope wants talented players to play at the University of Kentucky. But, more importantly, he wants those players to understand why it’s an honor to wear the Kentucky jersey. During an offseason press conference, the Wildcats head coach explained what traits a player needs to succeed at Kentucky.

“There’s nowhere like this, and if you come in here not understanding or appreciating that, I actually think your chances of success are not very high, to some level,” Pope said. “The guys that are really successful here come in with a healthy respect for what this is — because it requires more, actually.

“It requires more ability to be non-distracted. It requires more of a giving heart. It requires more of an idea that there’s something bigger than yourself. It requires more of an ability to sacrifice a little bit and understand that by sacrificing a little bit of yourself, it actually elevates you, right?”

Mark Pope intimately understands what comes with wearing Kentucky across your chest. Before becoming the head coach at Kentucky, he was a player for the historic program.

In fact, Pope was the team captain of Kentucky’s 1996 National Championship team. His history with the program was a major reason that fans embraced him when Kentucky announced he’d be the next head coach.

Pope knows that for players to maximize their success at Kentucky, they need to understand why it’s a special program in the first place. Evidently, the 52-year-old tirelessly works at teaching his players this lesson in the offseason.

“We were just doing a media shoot about this chance to become immortal and how you get there. The pathway to get there is very different than this world wants to teach us,” Pope said. “Understanding and having some concept of what Kentucky basketball means is a vital part from the very first phone call to the very last pre-commitment conversation.

“There are a lot of guys that don’t really get that. They’re going to go be great basketball players, they just won’t be great basketball players here — because this place is different. You need to understand that if you want to come play here — well, not if you want to come play here, but if you’re going to accept the incredible opportunity to come play here, you have to understand that.”

It seems like Kentucky’s fresh faces are already soaking in Pope’s wisdom. After numerous counties in Kentucky were devastated by a tornado earlier this month, several of Kentucky’s incoming transfers reached out to Wildcats fans. If Kentucky players put Mark Pope’s on-court advice into action as quickly as they did off the court, Wildcats fans will be in for a fun 2025-26 season.