WATCH: Mark Pope talks SEC Tournament, gameday schedule, staff additions

Practice schedules and potential staff additions stole the spotlight in Mark Pope’s press conference today, but other topics were covered as Kentucky gets ready to head to Nashville for the SEC Tournament.

Pope didn’t rule out Kam Williams playing vs. LSU as the sophomore wing continues to rehab from foot surgery. We’ll have a better idea of Williams’ status tonight when the SEC Availability Report drops. Pope explained that Kentucky turned down its option to practice in Bridgestone Arena today as part of its efforts to mimic the gameday schedule. The Cats practiced at 11:30 a.m. CT/12:30 p.m. ET in Lexington to get their body clocks ready for the early tip.

Pope also fielded questions about fatigue, telling reporters that every player has a different tolerance; in turn, the staff is trying to spread minutes out accordingly so every player can reach peak production. Looking forward, he described what he’s looking for in the “Associate Director, Player Development” role that was listed on UK’s site this past weekend, adding that it won’t be the final piece he adds to the staff. Good news for those wanting Kentucky to hire a general manager.

There was also praise for Collin Chandler despite his struggles in recent games and for Big Blue Nation. Kentucky finished the regular season No. 1 in the country in attendance, with over 350,000 fans total coming to Rupp Arena. Pope hopes many of them will also make the trip to Nashville this week to give the Cats a home away from homecourt advantage.

“BBN is incredible. For a season as dramatic as we’ve had this year, for BBN to keep showing up more than any fan base in the country is incredible. It’s breathtaking. I would say, Bring it. We couldn’t be more excited. I hope they’re excited, and let’s try to go make some history, and we’ll do it together.”

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