Mark Pope shares first thoughts on Rick Pitino, St. John's battle: 'I'm excited.'

Mark Pope never misses an opportunity to rave about his former head coach at Kentucky, starting way back when Rick Pitino rallied the troops to get Big Blue Nation behind Mitch Barnhart’s polarizing hire — “He changed me to my soul, changed my DNA as a human being,” Pope said at the podium in front of a sold-out Rupp Arena crowd for his introductory press conference.

“He allowed me to be someone who feels they can walk into any room and take on any impossible task, and I will love him forever,” he continued.

Then he brought him back to Lexington for his first Big Blue Madness as the head coach of the Wildcats, joined by dozens of program legends — none bigger than Pitino, wearing blue and sporting a UK logo for the first time in who knows how long.

All of it clearly meant the world to Pope.

“Coach Pitino is really personal to me. If you think about your life, you count on one hand the people that really, really, really changed you forever, and I love Coach Pitino for that,” Pope said following that first Big Blue Madness. “I’ll be forever grateful for him. He changed the way that I see the world, and he changed the way that I walk into a room, and he changed the confidence that we approach challenges with. On top of all that, we got to share, as a team under his leadership, just the most extraordinary of extraordinary experiences together.

“He is a coach that is also on the Mount Rushmore of Kentucky basketball coaches, and that’s really saying something. He took a program when it was in a really difficult spot, and took it back where it belongs: at the top of the college basketball mountain.”

Now, Pitino is enemy No. 1 for the Wildcats, Pope looking to take down his mentor on the opposing bench as Kentucky takes on St. John’s in the CBS Sports Classic down in Atlanta. You can have respect for your former coach and appreciate his impact on your life and the game of basketball overall, but at the end of the day, it’s your job to beat his team on the hardwood.

Because this team desperately needs any big-time win it can get its hands on right now.

That’s why Pope’s tone was noticeably different when asked about the head-to-head matchup this week during his call-in radio show — at least the first time the topic came up. The question was about Pitino specifically, but Pope minimized that storyline and made it more about the Johnnies as a team.

“Mostly because it’s a great game. This St. John’s team is a great team, and they’re incredibly big and physical and skilled. And, of course, they guard and press and are one of the top defensive teams in the country,” Pope said. “They might be a little more potent shooting the ball this year. So we’re playing against a great team. That’s the most exciting thing.

“And getting to do it against Coach is awesome. I love him, and I’m excited about the contest.”

Tom Leach didn’t let Pope off the hook too easily, asking a follow-up about his time playing for Pitino and some of those memories.

He dug into the nostalgia some, talking specifically about their tough practices and how much he grew as a person at Kentucky under Pitino’s leadership, but it didn’t extend too far beyond that.

“So much (I remember about playing for Pitino),” Pope responded. “I mean, I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but every day seemed like it was two years — mostly because we stuffed like 17 practices in every day. But so much. We had so many special experiences as a team, and then the takeaways about — just in those times in life where you really grow are special.

“So I credit Coach with so much of that, being able to really forge a team out of a bunch of individuals. He’s got a magical capacity to do that and taught us a ton of lessons. I have so many.”

They can share stories and talk about the good old days at State Farm Arena after the game — especially if Kentucky pulls off the win. Until then, the focus is on game prep and keeping the Wildcats’ eyes on the prize.