Mark Pope talks title expectations, following Coach Cal on SportsCenter

Mark Pope is finding his groove as the next head coach of Kentucky, crushing his opening introduction at Rupp Arena before doing the same in his debut call-in radio show with Tom Leach. He checked all of the boxes and then some.

Next up? An appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter, a brief afternoon segment Wednesday where he talked about his first days in Lexington and coming down from the high of not only filling up Rupp, but being forced to turn away 5,000 people at his first press conference.

To say it’s helped with early recruiting would be an understatement.

“It’s amazing. I say this all the time, especially recruiting for the last few days, but I don’t know anywhere else that you can go and work hard with a team and hang a banner, then walk back into the gym 30 years later and that’s the reception you get,” Pope said on SportsCenter. “That is unique to BBN and the Kentucky faithful. It’s just an amazing program to be a part of. There’s nothing like it.”

First up? Expectations and his decision to embrace them at the highest level. Pope understands most coaches tend to temper those big dreams and take this process one step at a time, but he doesn’t want to be like most coaches. Coming from experience as a player, he knows shooting for the stars is the only way to do things at Kentucky.

It’s on him to land those shots.

“I think the first step is is knowing what the assignment is, right? We talked about this in the press conference, it’s tradition and it’s universal that when you accept a new head coaching job, you try and manage expectations and kind of set an achievable standard. That just doesn’t exist at the University of Kentucky,” Pope said. “There’s one standard and it never changes. If you hang banners, you’re successful and if you don’t, you’re not. That’s one of the things that makes this place special, knowing that going in and embracing that going in is really a part of what we do.”

For the first time since taking over, Pope discussed his predecessor and what it’s like replacing a Hall of Fame coach in John Calipari. There’s no denying those are big shoes to fill considering what he’s meant to the game of basketball and this program since arriving back in 2009, but he embraces that.

He wants to appreciate those highs Coach Cal hit in Lexington while also putting his own spin on things as he builds a new culture his way.

“Well, there’s a saying in coaching, especially in college basketball: you never follow John Wooden. We’re so appreciative of everything John Calipari did,” Pope said. “I’m a diehard Kentucky fan as well as a former player, now head coach. John revolutionized a lot of things in the way recruiting is done and style of play in college basketball. What he did at Kentucky is really incredible and we’re all so grateful for that. We can’t wait to move forward and keep chasing these banners.”

Part of that? Roster construction and the way he recruits high school talent vs. transfer portal pieces. Calipari went heavy on one-and-done freshmen while others in college basketball have pushed their chips in on experience, cutting out youth almost entirely.

Pope will be finding the right balance of both, he says. He wants to bring in the best of the best regardless of age, prioritizing fit over raw talent and major project pieces.

“It is ever-changing, what we’re seeing. The changes are coming more fast and more furious than they have come before,” he said. “Here at Kentucky, it’s a really nice mix of bringing in some of the most elite talent that will be guys that play one year of college basketball and then go on to have extraordinary NBA careers and it’s always going to be some guys that are going to stick around for two or three or four years and really kind of grow the program a little from within and when you get the right mix, that’s what leads to championships and that’s what we’re searching for.”

We’re ready for championships too, Mark.