John Pelphrey initially turned down Mark Pope's offer to bring Tennessee Tech to Rupp Arena

John Pelphrey has been to Rupp Arena in almost every role possible: high school player, college player, fan, opposing head coach, opposing assistant coach, and even ESPN commentator. His No. 34 jersey hangs in the rafters alongside the rest of the Unforgettables. So, when Mark Pope invited Pelphrey to bring his Tennessee Tech squad to town to play Kentucky, he got a surprising answer.

“I’ve got a 41-year relationship with this building,” Pelphrey said on Pope’s call-in show last night. “So, when Mark asked me to do this, I told him no. Right? I had no hesitation whatsoever. I’m not doing that.”

Pelphrey is 0-2 in games against Kentucky at Rupp Arena as an opposing head coach, both losses coming from his time as the Razorbacks’ head coach. He’s been back several more times as an assistant at Florida and Alabama. Now in his seventh season at Tennessee Tech, Pelphrey knows the result that’s coming on Wednesday night. Kentucky will likely be a 30+ point favorite vs. the Golden Eagles whenever the odds are released.

As Mark Story detailed this morning, the fact that Pelphrey will lose in Rupp probably isn’t the only reason he initially turned down Pope’s offer. His wife, Tracy, was diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer last month and is undergoing chemotherapy. It’s a trying time, but Tracy was the first one to tell her husband that he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to come back to Rupp. She’s even pausing her fourth cycle of chemotherapy so she can come with him. Pelphrey told Story that his old Kentucky teammates Deron Feldhaus and Sean Woods also talked him into playing the game, but only under Pelphrey’s condition that they do the postgame press conference for him.

Tracy and I wanted to share an important family update and appreciate your thoughts and prayers during this time. pic.twitter.com/JSCUFODtPL

— John Pelphrey (@johnpelphrey) October 14, 2025

Pelphrey didn’t bring up the emotional subject of his wife on Pope’s call-in show, but admitted that he finally realized he couldn’t turn down the invitation.

“So, I got home, and my associate head coach said, ‘You’re playing the game.’ So then I had to come crawling back, groveling back, but yeah, it’s a special place, and I’m very, very appreciative of the opportunity, and just hope our team can come in here and we can continue to grow. I really like my team. We’ve got a great group of young men, first and foremost, and I think they can play basketball. We certainly gotta get better and gotta find a level of consistency for sure.”

“The reality of it is, for me, this is not just another place, and certainly the building,” Pelphrey added. “I’ve had a long relationship with it. Everybody knows my love affair with my alma mater. So I’ll have to deal with some of that, and I certainly tried to prepare myself. It’s just a lot of emotion there.”

The chance to return to Rupp Arena was too good to pass up for John Pelphrey – even if he initially needed a little convincing.

The Unforgettable called in to last night's first Mark Pope Show, presented by @UK_HealthCare. pic.twitter.com/eMFq1vrjpM

— UK Sports Network (@UKSportsNetwork) November 25, 2025

Pelphrey called Pitino for advice

Last year, Rick Pitino returned to Rupp Arena for the first time since his time as Louisville’s coach at the request of Mark Pope, who stood alongside him as fans gave Pitino a standing ovation. Pelphrey called his old coach to get some advice not only on how to handle the emotions of going back to Rupp, but how to best prepare his team to keep up with Mark Pope’s Cats, who also play St. John’s next month.

“I called him the other day, and he called me back, and I said, ‘Coach, how should I handle this thing, going back, what do you think? Should we slow it down? Should we speed it up?’ And he starts talking about the three-point line. And I’m like, ‘We can’t do that. We’re not physically going to be able to do that!’

“And then I kind of told him the story about how and when my relationship started this place, and he says to me, ‘Hell, you’re getting old.’ And I’m like, what? So are you, coach! I know you don’t look like it.’ I think he’s a vampire. The guy hasn’t aged a day.”

I’m sure Pelphrey will also get a big ovation when he’s introduced tomorrow night. He also told some fun Pitino stories on the call-in show, so if you get a chance, listen to the replay.