Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope wants program to take on this identity
LEXINGTON — Mark Pope apologized in advance for not knowing the exact numbers, joking that "somebody will verify this" by hopping on Google. But the specifics mattered less than the point he wanted to make.
Best he could recall, Pope and his Kentucky teammates were in the middle of an exhibition game against Athletes in Action three decades ago. The Wildcats had jumped to a big lead — Pope thought it was 28-4 — in the early going. Then they gave up four straight points.
Rick Pitino was furious. He called a timeout. And proceeded to rip into his players.
"The last thing (Pitino) says is, 'You guys are going to pay for this tomorrow!'" Pope recalled.
All these years later, Pope remembered the response of his teammate, Walter McCarty.
"Walt stands up, white as a ghost — his eyes tearing up — and he looks at me and his voice," said Pope, dropping his tone a few octaves to mimic McCarty's high-pitched, anxious timbre, "and he's like, 'We've got to fix this!'"
That all-out, nonstop intensity and commitment to excellence are traits Pope plans to bring to the fore as UK's new men's basketball coach, which he highlighted numerous times Sunday during his introductory news conference at Rupp Arena.
"We're gonna find our own way to fabricate that type of organization, because that's what Kentucky deserves," said Pope, who spent the past five seasons at BYU. "And if we don't do it, then we don't belong here."
Pope called it his coaching "DNA." As long as he's leading the Wildcats, Pope said, there's a phrase he'll utter every day.
"'Relentless, 24/7 work,'" he said. "Those are not fake words: 'Relentless, 24/7 work.' And I learned that here."
That's not the only lesson he took away from his three-year career in Lexington.
"I learned about resilience here," he said. "And here in Kentucky, resilience is a requirement. It's not an exception. It's a requirement. But I learned that here.
"I learned here that passion wins championships. Passion wins championships."
Then, Pope turned philosophical.
"I learned so much about gratitude," he said. "Entitlement leads to sorrow and depression. And gratitude leads to joy."
That sense of appreciativeness bled into a Pope proclamation that surely brought a nod of approval from all UK supporters in attendance — a packed house, at that — as well as those watching on the livestream of the event: Donning a blue-and-white Kentucky uniform, Pope believes, is one of the most sacred privileges a basketball player can attain. After years upon years of former coach John Calipari touting his pupils' NBA successes, Pope's Kentucky-first mindset was music to the fan base's ears.
"You know what all these (former UK players) know? And all of our future players are going to learn really quick? They are not doing those jerseys a favor by letting the jerseys clothe them," Pope said. "Our guys will know quickly — and it's hard not to know — it will be one of the great honors of their life to put that jersey on."
Simply put, Pope admits he "bleeds blue." It harks back to when he once was part of one of the most memorable teams ever assembled in Lexington — the national-title winning squad in 1996, known as "The Untouchables" — and losing a game, any game, was an afterthought.
"Everybody wants to go in the Wayback Machine," UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart said. "This is a little bit of a taste (of) what it felt like back in the day. Everybody talks about the years that we had and you point to banners and things like that. This gives you that vibe."
Barnhart said Pope is the perfect hire at a crucial time for the program. One seeking to once more ascend to the top of the college basketball hierarchy after failing to make it out of the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament in five seasons. One that hasn't reached a Final Four since 2015. One that hasn't added another national title since notching No. 8 in 2012.
"As you talk to Mark ... you get a real feel for his love for this institution," Barnhart said. "I don't think there was anything more important at a time in our journey to find somebody that understood this commonwealth, this fan base and our program. And in (our) conversations, he checked every box.
"He knew exactly what we needed, and he knew exactly the pathways we needed to get it done."
Pope and the Wildcats will begin that trek now. Its destination, Pope hopes, is the final game of the college basketball season, where UK will celebrate in a rainfall of confetti. That's the stated goal.
With his bottomless enthusiasm and the backing of the Bluegrass State that showcased its support Sunday, Pope saw no reason to pump the brakes.
"With those high expectations, inevitably, there is going to come criticism. But I don't want you guys to worry," he said, as he turned to his left, in the direction of the parade of past Kentucky players who attended Sunday's ceremony, "because I'm in a group chat with every single one of my '96 championship team teammates.
"And they will destroy me every time something goes wrong."
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Mark Pope, Kentucky basketball coach, wants program to possess this ID
