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Men's Basketball

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

Published

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

Star Forward Milan Momcilovic Chooses Kentucky Over Louisville and Arizona

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1 day ago

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June 1, 2026

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Photo via AOL

The wait is over BBN!

Milan Momcilovic has officially announced that he will be playing his senior year of college basketball at Kentucky, suiting up in the blue and white for Mark Pope and the Wildcats!

The 6-foot-8 wing averaged 16.9 points per game in the 2025-26 season, leading the nation in 3-pointers made (136) and percentage from deep (48.7%).

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Momcilovic is mostly ranked as No. 2 in most portal rankings, but ESPN has the former Cyclone as the No. 1 overall player. With that being said, this technically serves as Pope’s first No. 1 transfer during his tenure at Kentucky.

Pulling his name out of the 2026 NBA Draft on Wednesday, May 27, Kentucky was seemingly the favorite to land the wing during the entire sweepstakes due to positional need, scheme fit and money available to spend. He could even play another year with the Kentucky Wildcats if the “5-in-5” rule is passed and he forgoes the draft again.

Putting Pat Kelsey in a locker and outbidding him on a recruit is always great for morale, but this fills the much-needed star spot for next year’s roster. Pope and his staff have shaped the team with plenty of skilled players, but Momcilovic adds that extra layer of shooting and will serve as the go-to guy when a game may be on the line.

This will be the final player added to the 2026-27 team, with an insert at the starting small forward position in Momcilovic’s future. Pope and the Big Blue Nation have their guy, and soon enough, we’ll see the Pewaukee, Wisconsin native on Rupp Arena’s court.

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Men's Basketball

National Reporter Matt Norlander Chooses Kentucky as Landing Spot for Star Forward Milan Momcilovic

Published

6 days ago

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May 28, 2026

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Photo via Imagn Images

The Milan Momcilovic sweepstakes is underway, with multiple teams involved in the No. 2 overall transfer player’s recruitment. It is believed that Kentucky and Louisville are the top candidates after his decision to pull out from the 2026 NBA Draft on Wednesday, May 27.

Along with the in-state rivals, Arizona and St. John’s are both very well still in the mix, but the Red Storm are slowly falling out of contention after landing Baylor’s Tounde Yessoufou.

On May 28, national reporter Matt Norlander cleared the air on CBS Sports’ Eye On College Basketball podcast, stating that he believes Kentucky will land Momcilovic by the end of the weekend or Monday.

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“My prediction right now is that Milan Momcilovic will go to Kentucky,” Norlander said. “My understanding is that decision is going to come in the next one, two, three days, four days max.”

He would go on to talk about the other top programs involved, stating why he thinks they will be working in an uphill battle in this bidding war.

“My forecast is that it’s Kentucky, but you know, we’ll see if Louisville can get in there,” he continued. “Arizona I don’t think has the money to contend, like I think Kentucky and Louisville just have more money to play with.”

For the worried members of the Big Blue Nation, this is certainly good news to be put out by one of the most trusted college basketball reporters at the national level.

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Going by this report and Adam Zagoria’s from NYT Sports, it shouldn’t be long until a commitment decision for Momcilovic is announced publicly.

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Men's Basketball

BREAKING: No. 2 Ranked Transfer Milan Momcilovic Removes Name From 2026 NBA Draft

Published

6 days ago

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May 27, 2026

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Kamil Krzaczynski | Imagn Images

Milan Momcilovic has officially removed his named from the 2026 NBA Draft and will return to college for his senior season.

Kentucky leads in his recruitment, followed closely by St. John’s, Louisville and Arizona. A backdoor to Iowa State is also still open.

The No. 2 ranked transfer would be a huge addition to Kentucky’s 2026-27 roster if he committed, averaging 16.9 points per game on 50.6/48.7/87.8 shooting splits last year. Funny enough, in the current world of college athletics that we live in, Momcilovic was responsible for eliminating the Wildcats from the NCAA Tournament, dropping 20 points in the Round of 32.

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He would go on to lose to Tennessee in the Sweet 16 with Iowa State, so at least we know that there’s some inner-hatred for a long-standing rival if he ends up a Wildcat.

He made the most three-point shots in Division I basketball and is a versatile 6-foot-8 wing, which would fit perfectly into Mark Pope’s offensive system. He completed workouts with the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves during the draft process.

Now, the bidding war for the top dog begins, with some of the most prestigious programs in the sport placing their bets on the star forward.

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