Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Mark Pope, former player on Kentucky’s 1995-96 national title team and BYU coach, takes over as head coach following John Calipari

Mark Pope, former player on Kentucky’s 1995-96 national title team and BYU coach, takes over as head coach following John Calipari


Kentucky has hired BYU coach Mark Pope to become its next men’s basketball coach, the school announced Friday. Pope and Kentucky quickly engaged on Thursday in the hours after Baylor’s Scott Drew and UConn’s Dan Hurley both turned down Kentucky’s overtures.

Pope was offered a five-year deal at an average of $5.5 million per season, before incentives, sources said. Pope replaces John Calipari, who on Tuesday officially left for Arkansas after 15 years in Lexington.

The pick was not the obvious or expected one on account of Kentucky’s historical standing in the sport.

Pope is a Kentucky alumnus, however. He played on the famed 1995-96 championship team and has long coveted an opportunity to one day return to his alma mater. He has nine years of head coaching experience in D-I: four at Utah Valley, the past five at BYU. His career record is 187-108, with a 110-52 mark at BYU. Pope is 0-2 all time in the NCAA Tournament. He guided the Cougars to a No. 6 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament but fell in the first round to Duquesne.

Pope won out over other hot names, including Billy Donovan and Rick Pitino. Sources told CBS Sports that, despite Pitino and Donovan being buzzy names attached to Kentucky as potential candidates, neither were aggressively pursued by UK athletic director Mitch Barnhart. The event that opened the door all the way for Pope was when Hurley definitively signaled he wasn’t an option.

The 51-year-old Pope is a high-energy hire who had the backing and support of some former players, in addition to being Barnhart’s favored choice in his secondary candidate list. Pope runs a fun system on the floor; his BYU teams finished top-20 at KenPom in three of his five seasons there. He overhauled his roster strategy and offensive philosophy this past season as well, which led to 23 wins and a top-15 offense in college basketball.

Pope would join Joe B. Hall as the only men’s basketball coaches — dating back to Hall of Famer Adolph Rupp in 1930 — to play for Kentucky and go on to coach the program. For Pope, it’s a true dream job situation. An official announcement is expected Friday, once Barnhart signs off on the contract.