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Take into account this the white smoke: There’s a new Pope, similar because the outdated Pope, in Kentucky. The Wildcats, in a surprisingly fast transfer, are finalizing a deal to rent former UK participant and present BYU coach Mark Pope to switch John Calipari as this system’s subsequent basketball coach, a supply briefed on the discussions confirmed Thursday.
Calipari introduced this week that he’s leaving Kentucky after 15 years to take the coaching job at Arkansas. Athletic director Mitch Barnhart took two huge swings at nationwide championship-winning coaches — he was turned down by each Baylor’s Scott Drew and Connecticut’s Dan Hurley — and at the very least made contact with Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan, who beforehand led Florida to 2 nationwide titles.
Barnhart ended up with a far much less confirmed coach in Pope, who has gained 20-plus video games six occasions in 9 years however has by no means gained an NCAA Match recreation. Add that to a protracted checklist of the way, in each fashion and substance, that Pope is the anti-Calipari, who regardless of current struggles guided Kentucky to seven Elite Eights, 4 Last Fours and a nationwide championship.
However Calipari was additionally the king of one-and-dones and freshman-driven groups, an strategy that was much less efficient the final 4 years. Pope approaches roster constructing fairly in a different way.
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When requested earlier than this 12 months’s NCAA Match how he manages the switch portal, he instructed The Athletic, “Our No. 1 precedence is retaining our personal gamers, so once you begin from that house, it makes issues somewhat bit simpler. You’ve some continuity and you’ll form of determine some items, some depth items it’s good to add.”
Pope is loads adept at mining the portal — and he’ll must if Kentucky is to subject a aggressive staff subsequent season — as BYU had 4 transfers in its rotation this 12 months, led by former Texas A&M and Arkansas guard Jaxson Robinson (who nonetheless has eligibility). However Pope reiterated: “An important factor for us is retaining our gamers. We’re fascinated by that each day.”
So, goodbye revolving door in Lexington? It’s a brand new period certainly, ushered in by a well-recognized face.
The 51-year-old Pope performed two seasons with the Wildcats and was captain of Kentucky’s 1996 nationwide championship staff — one of many best faculty groups of all time. He was a second-round NBA draft decide and performed components of six seasons within the league, then did assistant-coaching stints at Georgia, Wake Forest and BYU.
His first head-coaching job was at Utah Valley, from 2015 to 2019, the place he gained 23 video games in Yr 3 and 25 video games in Yr 4. Then it was off to BYU, the place he had a 110-52 document in 5 seasons, together with two NCAA Match appearances. The Cougars moved from the West Coast Convention to a way more difficult Large 12 this season and went 23-11, together with wins over Baylor, Texas, Iowa State and Kansas. BYU was a No. 6 seed within the NCAA Match however was upset by No. 11 seed Duquesne within the first spherical.
Kentucky followers anticipated to land somebody extra confirmed within the postseason, they usually bought their hopes up when the primary three names to emerge upon Calipari’s exit had been Drew, Hurley and Donovan. After Drew and Hurley declined on Thursday, there was widespread hope Barnhart would go all-in for Donovan. That didn’t occur.
A UK supply briefed on the hiring course of instructed The Athletic late Thursday evening that an overture was made to Donovan, who was not — however a number of different shops have reported Donovan would have been if Kentucky was keen to attend till his NBA season ended, as early as subsequent Wednesday, to interact in additional critical discussions.
Wildcats followers hoping for a giant splash had been caught off guard, then, when Pope’s title emerged Thursday night. Earlier than his candidacy might even totally be processed, it grew to become clear he was truly the man. There was, and might be, some sturdy backlash from followers, not due to something that’s Pope’s fault, however as a result of they consider Barnhart did not exhaust all top-tier choices earlier than hiring Pope inside days of Calipari’s departure.
The factor is, Pope is an alum who loves Kentucky deeply — his faculty roommate was Jeff Sheppard, whose son starred for the Wildcats this season — and is broadly thought-about a brilliant teaching thoughts. There are questions on whether or not he can recruit at a excessive sufficient degree, and fears that the drop-off between the extent of expertise he can appeal to in comparison with what Calipari introduced in yearly might be a serious shock to the system. However the Wildcats needed change, and that is change. So what is Kentucky getting?
For starters, a particularly clever man, one who enrolled in medical college at Columbia after his taking part in profession, earlier than starting his teaching profession. Pope embraces all the brand new challenges of being a university basketball coach in 2024, together with the brand new complications of NIL and the switch portal. Solely he doesn’t view these as nuisances.
“That’s the distinction between faculty and the NBA,” Pope stated final month. “Within the NBA, you get to focus solely on basketball on a regular basis. In faculty, you’re at all times multitasking. It’s a part of the rationale I really like the job. It feels way more like a CEO that’s getting pulled in 100 totally different instructions on a regular basis than the world knowledgeable in a single particular slice of the sphere.
“And I adore it. I really like the job. It’s so much, but it surely’s why we love this enterprise.”
And what concerning the precise basketball? Right here’s The Athletic’s CJ Moore, who has studied BYU extensively, with a fast rundown:
Pope’s groups have at all times performed quick. This 12 months’s Cougars shot plenty of transition 3s, and within the half court docket ran plenty of five-out, constructed round zoom actions and a heavy dose of dribble hand-offs, taking part in by way of the middle. They had been at their greatest with pass-first middle Aly Khalifa (who has eligibility) on the ground due to his capability to hit cutters and the guards studying and reacting to the best way the protection performed.
This was a changeup to his groups of the previous. Pope has run continuity ball display offenses for many of his profession, however no matter offense he’s operating, his groups have at all times been well-schooled and enjoyable to look at. From an X’s and O’s acumen, it is a main improve from what Kentucky has had.
The observe document from an effectivity standpoint is nice too. Three of his 5 groups at BYU have completed within the prime 25 in adjusted offense, and his last two groups at Utah Valley completed within the prime two within the WAC in offensive effectivity. He’s positively confirmed himself as an offensive coach and somebody who can each adapt to his expertise and construct rosters round how he needs to play.
His Cougars had been picked to complete thirteenth of their Large 12 debut this season however completed fifth, tied with preseason No. 1 Kansas. Additionally they gained at Allen Fieldhouse, which few groups do, and are ranked No. 13 in The Athletic’s way-too-early Prime 25 for subsequent season due to all their returning expertise. Pope’s staff by no means gained the West Coast Convention, but it surely completed second to Gonzaga twice, and people Bulldog groups completed No. 2 at KenPom in 2020 and as nationwide runner-up in 2021.
Pope is a great, considerate, humble coach whose description of the job — that of a multitasking CEO — speaks to his strategy and the truth that he gained’t make excuses for the circumstances he’s dealt, which might serve him effectively in Yr 1 at Kentucky.
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(Photograph: Jeffrey Swinger / USA Right now)
