Kentucky is closing in on hiring Mark Pope, the current BYU coach, to take over as the head coach of the men’s basketball program, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander. Pope, a former Kentucky star who played under Rick Pitino from 1994-96, is set to return to Lexington after spending the last five seasons at Brigham Young. He will step in for John Calipari, who recently moved on to Arkansas after 15 seasons with the Wildcats. Mark Pope, 51, began his college career at Washington before transferring to Kentucky in 1994. During his time at Kentucky, Pope was a team captain for the national title-winning team in 1996.
The discussions between Kentucky and Pope began quickly on Thursday, following refusals from Scott Drew of Baylor and Dan Hurley of UConn. While names like Billy Donovan and Rick Pitino were mentioned as potential candidates, Kentucky’s athletic director, Mitch Barnhart, did not pursue them. Pope’s coaching career has seen him rise from a player in the NBA to a head coach at Utah Valley before taking over at BYU.
Pope’s coaching philosophy emphasizes a high-scoring offense, much like Kentucky’s style last season. Under Pope, BYU excelled in 3-point shooting and offensive efficiency. He will likely focus on recruiting players who can continue this style of play at Kentucky. Pope’s recruiting history shows that he has been successful in bringing in talent, even if he faces some challenges with the current roster situation at Kentucky.
As the new head coach, Pope will have some work to do in building up the roster, as several players have declared for the NBA Draft or entered the transfer portal. His experience in coaching and recruiting should serve him well as he navigates the challenges of taking over a historic program like Kentucky.
