Mark Pope: who is he? All the information you need to know about Pope, the new basketball coach at Kentucky. Pope replaces John Calipari, who departed for Arkansas after 15 seasons as head coach.
Several reports that surfaced late on Thursday night suggested that UK and Pope were completing the details of a deal to name the former UK player as the next head coach. On Friday morning, the institution officially announced it. Athletic director Mitch Barnhart remarked, “Mark Pope not only brings an impressive record in his nine years as a head coach, but also a love of the University of Kentucky and a complete understanding of what our program means to the people in our state.” “Mark was a well-liked and esteemed teammate throughout his time as captain of the 1996 championship squad. He is widely recognized as an innovator in the country as a head coach. His teams play aggressive defense and have a distinctive, dynamic uptempo offense. He is an effective recruiter with global
“He fully embraces our high standards and expectations, and I know that our fans will be eager to join him on what looks to be an exciting ride as soon as they get to know Mark again.”
John Calipari, who guided the Wildcats to three Final Fours and a national championship in fifteen years, leaves large shoes for Pope to fill. This week, Coach Cal fled for Arkansas. Pope spent the last five seasons as BYU’s head coach. All the information you require about the next man up in Lexington is provided here.
