A former Kentucky great will return to Rupp Arena this week as Tennessee Tech's head coach

Mark Pope won’t be the only former Kentucky player coaching from the sidelines on Wednesday night in Rupp Arena.

The man on the opposite bench from Pope will be Tennessee Tech head coach John Pelphrey, who most of the Big Blue Nation will remember from his time suiting up for Eddie Sutton and Rick Pitino’s Wildcats from 1987-92. Pelphrey, a two-time captain, was a member of Kentucky’s famous 1991-92 squad under Pitino (now known as The Unforgettables) — you know, the one that came up short against Christian Laettner and Duke in the 1992 Elite Eight. We’ll just leave it at that.

Pelphrey, a 6-foot-7 native of Paintsville, averaged 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and four assists per game as a senior at UK. He appeared in 114 games as a Wildcat, scoring over 1,200 points along the way while being named All-SEC in 1991. His #34 jersey is hanging in the Rupp rafters.

Now a longtime teacher of the game, Pelphrey will return to Lexington as a head coach this week for the first time since he led Arkansas from 2008 to 2011. He’s in year seven coaching Tennessee Tech, his Golden Eagles bringing a 3-3 record into Rupp. Pope was a few years late to playing alongside Pelphrey in the blue and white, but he holds plenty of respect for the former ‘Cat.

“I love Pel,” Pope said during a press conference last week. “You talk about a legend, an all-time legend, great human being, great coaching career, great legacy here at the University of Kentucky. Great representative of the sport of basketball. It’s going to be really fun to have him up. I know that BBN will be so excited to welcome him back into this gym. I have a lot of admiration for him and the way he carries himself. It’ll be fun. We’re excited about that.”

Since graduating from UK, Pelphrey’s coaching career has taken him all over the country. He was an assistant coach at Oklahoma State (1993-94), Marshall (1994-96), and Florida (1996-2002) before taking over at South Alabama (2002-07) for his first head coaching stint. He went 80-67 with the Jaguars, even making the 2006 NCAA Tournament. From there, he made the jump to Arkansas (2007-11), but only reached one NCAA Tournament in his first season, finishing with an overall record of 69-59 (25-39 SEC). Kentucky went 3-1 against Pelphrey during his tenure leading the Razorbacks.

Arkansas ultimately fired Pelphrey in March 2011, which led him back to being an assistant coach at Florida again (2011-15) and then Alabama (2016-19) until Tennessee Tech came calling in April 2019. He’s been in Cookeville, TN, ever since, although the wins haven’t come with him. He’s 69-122 as the program’s head coach without an NCAA Tournament berth. His best run came in 2022-23 when Tennessee Tech finished 16-17 (11-7 OVC).

Early into 2025-26, it hasn’t gotten any better for the Golden Eagles. Pelphrey’s squad (3-3) ranks 320th in KenPom with losses to Western Kentucky, Charlotte, and West Georgia. Their offense ranks 336th nationally. Kentucky is favored to win by 30-plus on Wednesday night. On another related note, Pelphrey will also bring a Lexington native with him to Rupp. Hagan Preston, who played at Lexington Christian Academy and Mercer County in high school, is a 6-foot-3 freshman guard who has appeared in two games off the bench this season for Tennessee Tech.

The Golden Eagles will serve as Kentucky’s final tune-up game before back-to-back showdowns against ranked teams: No. 16 North Carolina (Dec. 2) and No. 13 Gonzaga (Dec. 5). Pelphrey will deservedly receive an ovation from the BBN — right before the ‘Cats hopefully (and respectfully) run this team out of the building in blowout fashion.

Tipoff between Kentucky and Tennessee Tech is set for Wednesday (Nov. 26) at 7:00 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.