The Mark Pope era of Kentucky Basketball is here and it couldn’t have kicked off to a better start. A packed Rupp Arena, 21,500+ with ~5,000 people getting turned away, to watch an introductory press conference. That is something only one program in the country can do. Kentucky.

With thousands of fans in attendance on Sunday, Mark Pope gave them a Kentucky basketball sermon (even taking a subtle shot or two at John Calipari). Here are some of his best quotes:

“Every coach in America at every other job in America stands up at the press conference and they try and moderate expectations. We don’t do that here at Kentucky. (Cheers). When Mitch called me and talked to me about being the head coach here at Kentucky, I understood the assignment. We are here to win banners. (Cheers). And as we go through this journey, we’re here to win banners in Nashville.”

“With those high expectations there will come criticism. But I don’t want you guys to worry, because I am in a group chat with every one of my single ’96 championship teammates and they will destroy me every time something goes wrong“

I learned about resilience here. And here at Kentucky resilience is a requirement. It is not an exception, it is a requirement, and I learned that here. I learned here about the passion wins championships; passion wins championships.

Our guys will know quickly, and it is hard not to know, it will be one of the great honors of their life to put that jersey on… There is only a select few players in the world that ever get to wear a Kentucky jersey, to wear a Kentucky jersey, it is one of the greatest honors guys can ever have as a basketball player/

You know that my team last year made the second most 3’s in all of college basketball. (Cheers). But at Kentucky we don’t come in second. (Cheers). My team last year had the fourth most assists in the country, and at Kentucky we share everything. (Cheers). We’re going to be aggressive on offense, we will change it up and keep people on their heels on defense.

The difference between Kentucky and every other program in the country is that this is not my team. It is not even our team. It is OUR team.

When I look up at the banners, when I look up at the rafters, it looks super crowded, if I know anything in the world about Mitch Barnhart, he will make more room.

We are talking to all of the guys on the current team, all those recruited and every player in the portal right now. And we will find — (cheers). We are going to find the guys that fit here, the way we play, and the guys that will come here and understand what a gift it is to play here at the University of Kentucky. 

Building a staff now you are not looking just for the skill sets for just recruiting but considering GM positions that navigate a roster, considering NIL positions. Let me say something about NIL. It is more than just cash. It is building a future and contributing to a community. And doing that right takes a lot of effort.

Let’s say sometime in the future we can find our way into this Maui tournament. Would anybody come? (Cheers). Maybe. We will see.

That’s the job, guys. We are not ducking it. We know the assignment. That is what it is, right? (Cheers). And, frankly, if you are too cautious or too worried to take on the challenge, don’t come to Kentucky because there is nothing else that is acceptable.

Before Richie (Farmer) and after Travis (Perry) and everybody in-between that is an instate Kentucky kid, these young men that grow up in Kentucky, they bring a spirit to the team that cannot be fabricated or replaced. And it helps us to win, and we will continue to recruit them.

I would try to temper expectations, but that is not happening, you are not allowing that. So why try? We are trying to win and our goal is to win every game we play… That is the DNA at Kentucky. If Kentuckians know one thing, they know a hard day’s work and getting up the next day and having another hard day’s work. That is what we know here.

There are great programs. There is no doubt. And that’s true and it is also true that there is nowhere like the University of Kentucky. There is nowhere. There is nowhere. 

We are taking a lot from Coach P’s DNA and growing into it. I think he looks at us and thinks, you copycat, man, stop taking my stuff.  If I can take anything from him, it would be every second of desperate relentless fight on the court he inspired of us.

Those guys that fit here sometimes will be one and done, burger boys for sure, and sometimes they will be guys that come here and play four years and grow in your hearts and minds and become Kentucky legends and everything in-between. That is what Kentucky deserves.

I would say I‘m someone that loves Kentucky from the depths of my soul, loves the game from the depths of my soul, loves my family and am a believer and loves God from the depths of my soul. That is who I am.

I don’t know how to say this, but part of what is different about Kentucky is there is a really fantastic, strong, young man, older man somewhere up here in the stands, right? And his heart is in Kentucky. And my heart is in Kentucky exactly the same way. It makes us different. This is just different. I feel like I have been everywhere and there is nowhere that shares this all together like we do here in Kentucky.

Every (recruiting) call will be an incredible moment because, you know, kids are answering a little bit different when I talk about Kentucky.