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Coaches Give Their Opinion On Kentucky’s Hire of Mark Pope

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2 years ago

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The hiring of Mark Pope was met with mixed reactions from Kentucky fans, but he is well respected in the coaching community.
Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

The hiring of Mark Pope was met with mixed reactions from Kentucky fans. On one hand, he is a great Xs and Os coach and one of Kentucky’s own, winning an NCAA Championship as captain of the 1996 team. On the other hand, he has yet to win an NCAA Tournament game.

While fans may have mixed reactions, Pope is well respected among the coaching community for his work ethic and creative offense. After speaking with several coaches who competed against Pope at BYU and Utah Valley, here is what some had to say.

Anonymous Coach #1

They play an uptempo style on offense. They are more physical defensively than many people think.

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Anonymous Coach #2

Coach Pope’s teams were always well-prepared. Had a great plan combined with grit and toughness. I learned a lot by scouting his teams especially offensively.

No, I’ve known him since his days at Utah Valley. Think he has the right personality and swagger to him to lead BBN. May take time but sneaky good hire.

Anonymous Coach #3

Kentucky fans should expect to win. His teams are extremely hard to guard, his players are well-schooled on how to play, and they play smart from an analytical standpoint. Hardly run any sets; just play really fast and try to score in transition or from their early offense. He does ‘modern basketball’ really well .. if he can get players that fit his system — look out.

The only concern from me would be if he will feel pressure to chase a different pool of players resulting in losing what got him the job in the first place.

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Anonymous Coach #4

They (BYU) were by far the hardest team to prepare for. Run a lot of actions that put the defense in conflict. Probably my favorite offensive system I’ve watched.

I thought the system was fine for the talent and types of athletes they had. Very NBA-like where the big is in a drop and the guard chases over the screen with everyone else staying home on shooters. They wanted to stay out of help/rotations as much as possible. They tried to impact you defensively by being physical without fouling on drives. Analytics wise their defense was pretty good. Want you to take tough 2s and then they did a really good job of blocking out and not fouling. With the way they played, they don’t force many turnovers though. The SEC team that they played the most similar to was Alabama just way less athletic.

If he can get the level of recruits to compete for national championships and if he does are they skilled enough with high enough basketball IQs to be able to succeed in his system? I think it might be tough to teach the concepts they run to 5-star freshmen.

Anonymous Coach #5

Pope is an extremely competitive coach, his teams always competed and fought to the end. Elite offensive mind, especially embracing the modern game and overall analytics. They shot a ton of 3’s and played with great pace – I’m sure a very fun style for their fans but also a tough style to defend.

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Anonymous Coach #6

BYU was my scout this year, such a unique style of play. They want to play in Transition and SHOOT 3’s. In Early Offense and HC Offense run a bunch of 5-Out, I think at UK he will have/recruit guys who can all Pass and Shoot. You just couldn’t fall asleep against them at all, had to guard all 5 guys.

I think he is very well respected from other coaches in the league and around the country. Recruiting would be my only concern, but now he’s at UK.

Other Coaches I have talked to believe he wouldn’t have had any shot if he didn’t play at UK, which I hate saying that, because he did in fact play at UK. So can’t take that away from him.

I think his recruiting style will be all about FIT and BUILDING the right team. He will be very strategic in the type of guys he recruits. The days of 4-5 Burger Boys are over. Will be different than Cal. Also, don’t be surprised if he wins IMMEDIATELY.

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Men's Basketball

College Basketball Rankings: Where Kentucky Stands in Updated “way-too-early” Polls

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2 weeks ago

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July 3, 2026

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Where Kentucky basketball stands in ESPN and CBS Sports updated way-too-early rankings after more coaching changes, player additions, and injuries.
UK Athletics

Last offseason, Kentucky was considered a top-10 team and a true title contender, but ended the season as one of the most disappointing teams in the country, winning just one game in the NCAA Tournament.

This offseason, Kentucky is barely cracking the top 15 in most preseason rankings and will look to climb the rankings throughout the season rather than fall.

Still 120+ days out from the start of the regular season, ESPN and CBS Sports have updated their “way-too-early” rankings following Dusty May’s jump from Michigan to the NBA, more player additions for teams, and some early-season-ending injuries.

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The rankings remain fairly static, however, with the Wildcats holding steady in ESPN’s rankings while moving ahead of St. John’s in CBS Sports’ rankings following Donnie Freeman’s Achilles injury.

ESPN

17. Kentucky Wildcats

Previous ranking: 17 (no change)

Impact newcomer: Milan Momcilovic

Momcilovic was the best transfer in the portal, after a season in which he established himself as the best shooter in college basketball. The 6-8 forward withdrew from the NBA draft on the night of the deadline, committing to coach Mark Pope’s team a few days later after also being pursued by Louisville and Arizona. He’s immediately an All-America contender and the most dangerous player on the Wildcats’ roster, after averaging 16.9 points and shooting 48.7% from 3 last season.

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Projected starting lineup

Zoom Diallo (15.7 PPG at Washington)
Alex Wilkins (17.8 PPG at Furman)
Milan Momcilovic (16.9 PPG at Iowa State)
Ousmane N’Diaye (9.8 PPG for Cremona in Serie A)
Malachi Moreno (7.8 PPG)

CBS Sports

16. Kentucky Wildcats

Previous ranking: 17 (⬆️1)

This ranking is based on the Wildcats returning one of the top six scorers — specifically Malachi Moreno — from a team that finished 22-14 and advanced to the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. That core will be joined by a recruiting class highlighted by Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic, Washington transfers Zoom Diallo and Franck Kepnang, Washington State transfer Jerone Morton, James Madison transfer Justin McBride, Providence transfer Alex Wilkins, four-star prospect Mason Williams and international prospect Ousmane N’Diaye.

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Men's Basketball

Mark Pope Discusses Final Assistant Coach Position, “I’m not in desperate need of adding more pieces”

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2 weeks ago

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July 3, 2026

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Mark Pope isn't rushing to fill Kentucky's final assistant coach opening, saying pending NCAA rules on international players could shift his plans.
UK Athletics

Kentucky basketball has operated this offseason without a full staff. Assistant coaches Alvin Brooks III and Jason Hart left the program back in March, and Mark Pope has only filled one of the two spots since, hiring former NBA All-Star Mo Williams from Jackson State.

Despite that, Kentucky managed to bring in the 3rd ranked transfer class in the country, highlighted by Milan Momcilovic, and have secured a commitment from 2027 five-star Ryan Hampton.

“I like my organization a lot right now. I think this group is functioning at a high level,” Pope said about his staff in an interview with BBN Tonight. “I like the way our staff feels. I like the way we feel in the staff meeting every day. I like the way we’re executing on the road. I like the way we feel on the court right now.”

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With an assistant coach position sitting vacant, Pope is satisfied with how his staff is performing and says there is no urgency in filling the role. Instead, he’s waiting to see how NCAA guidelines and rules unfold in the coming weeks.

“I’m not in desperate need of adding more pieces, although I’m open to the idea,” he said.

“There are going to be a whole host of legal cases from our league testing the CSC and the NCAA on their current guidelines and rules on international players. And depending on what the outcome of those are, it could very much shift the direction we go with hiring.”

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Men's Basketball

Mark Pope Says Kentucky’s Final Roster Spot Is About Fit, “There’s got to be a very uniquely positioned piece”

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2 weeks ago

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July 3, 2026

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Mark Pope opens up on Kentucky Basketball's final roster spot, emphasizing fit over hype as the Nikola Kusturica recruitment nears a decision.
UK Athletics

Kentucky basketball is wrapping up its third week of practice in an eight-week summer training block. While the players are getting acclimated to Mark Pope’s system and to each other, there is still one roster spot to be filled.

“I am enjoying coaching these guys, but we’re also still really active in recruiting,” Pope said in an interview with BBN Tonight.

One name that Wildcat fans have been keeping a close eye on in recent weeks is Nikola Kusturica, a 17-year-old prospect from Serbia, who is currently playing for FC Barcelona and is a projected lottery pick in the 2028 NBA Draft. His recruitment is down to Kentucky and UCLA, with the latter having the momentum and a decision expected soon.

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Whoever the final roster piece will be, Pope emphasizes that they must fit with the other 14 players on the roster.

“Where we are with our roster, there’s got to be a very uniquely positioned piece that fits,” he said.

“There are several different archetypes of piece that would fit this roster really well, but there’s also a lot of guys who are popping up as available or have been available for a little while who don’t turn out to be the fit that’s going to work for this team.”

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