Tag: mark pope

Meet Mark Pope, the Kentucky men’s basketball coach who replaced John Calipari

Mark Pope won a championship while playing for Kentucky.

College basketball fans will see someone new on the sidelines coaching the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team this season.

After a decade and a half with Kentucky, former Wildcats head coach John Calipari is no longer leading the program. Now the head coach at Arkansas, the longtime face of the team brought a few of his former players to a new school in the SEC.

In his absence, former BYU head coach Mark Pope is now running the show for Kentucky.

OTHER NEW COACHES: The men’s NCAA basketball coaching carousel’s biggest moves, including John Calipari to Arkansas

Pope is originally from Washington and played college basketball for the Washington Huskies, where he was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in 1992.

He eventually transferred to Kentucky, where he played from 1994 until 1996. As a forward, he was team captain for the Wildcats when they won the NCAA men’s basketball championship in 1996.

Selected in the second round of the 1996 NBA Draft, he played professionally both overseas and in the NBA. After his playing career concluded, he began coaching.

Pope served as an assistant coach at Georgia, Wake Forest, and BYU before becoming head coach at Utah Valley in 2015. Pope took over as head coach for the Cougars in 2019 and was able to take the team to the March Madness tournament last season.

Now the head coach of his alma mater, fans will have high hopes for Pope’s first season. While several players left the team for the NBA or the transfer portal, he will bring former BYU top scorer Jaxson Robinson with him to the Wilcats.

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College basketball expert offers projected SEC order of finish for Kentucky Wildcats

With less than a month until the start of the regular season, here’s where this college basketball expert projects Kentucky to finish in the SEC standings.

Only 24 days remain until the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team opens the 2024-25 regular season at Rupp Arena.

Kentucky will be in Year 1 of the Mark Pope era with a brand new roster following last season and John Calipari’s flip from the Blue Grass State to the Ozarks of Fayetteville, Arkansas.

On Friday, CBS Sports college basketball expert David Cobb made his SEC predictions for the season ahead, including the conference’s projected order of finish. Cobb projects the Alabama Crimson Tide to finish first in the SEC this season with the Auburn Tigers second.

The Tennessee Volunteers were picked third with Texas A&M Aggies picked to finish fourth.

Kentucky was picked to finish sixth in the conference, one spot behind Calipari’s Razorbacks at No. 5 and one spot ahead of the Florida Gators at No. 7

Per Cobb’s projections:

“Not a single scholarship player is back from Calipari’s final team, and scoring wing Jaxson Robinson is the only player coming with Pope from BYU. Thus, nearly everyone is both new to the school and new to each other. What the roster lacks in high-end sizzle it makes up for with depth and diversity. The Wildcats are a deep group of veterans with well-refined skill sets. Robinson is the most dynamic offensive weapon of the bunch after proving his chops as a three-level scorer for the Cougars last season. Former San Diego State point guard Lamont Butler and bombastic ex-Arizona guard Kerr Kriisa will handle the ball quite a bit.”

RELATED: Kentucky basketball ranked in Top 25 in ESPN’s preseason poll

Cobb included Robinson on his list of Players to Watch in 2024-25.

“Robinson won Sixth Man of the Year in the Big 12 last season while playing under Mark Pope at BYU. Now he’s following Pope back to the SEC after spending time at Texas A&M and Arkansas earlier in his career. UK’s roster is constructed in a way that clears the path for the lanky wing to be a primary scoring option.

Kentucky opens the regular season at Rupp Arena against Wright State on Nov. 4. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.

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Kentucky basketball game against Clemson in SEC/ACC Challenge gets late tipoff

It will be a late tipoff between Kentucky and Clemson in their marquee nonconference showdown in the SEC/ACC Challenge in December.

If you’re looking forward to seeing the Kentucky Wildcats square off against the Clemson Tigers as part of this year’s SEC/ACC Challenge, you might need an excuse to miss work the following day.

That’s because Kentucky basketball’s game against Clemson will be a late tipoff. The Wildcats and Tigers will get underway at 9:30 p.m. locally in the Bluegrass State when the two teams meet on Dec. 3 at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson. The game will be televised on ESPN, who announced start times for the SEC/ACC Challenge on Monday.

Kentucky hasn’t faced Clemson on the hardwood since the beginning of the 1997-98 season, a 76-61 Wildcats victory at the Premier Classic in Phoenix that November. Tubby Smith and Rick Barnes were the head coaches at Kentucky and Clemson, respectively, at the time.

The Wildcats went on to win the NCAA men’s basketball championship against the Utah Utes, led by the late Rick Majerus, at the Alamodome in San Antonio in March 1998.

A year earlier, Clemson beat Kentucky, 79-71, on Nov. 15, 1996 in the BCA Classic at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. It would turn out to be Rick Pitino’s final season as Wildcats head coach. Pitino would lose his bid at a second straight title months later with a loss to Arizona in the national championship game — also at RCA Dome.

Kentucky leads the all-time series against Clemson, 12-4.

RELATED: Kentucky basketball offers 2026 five-star guard Jordan Smith Jr.

Clemson is coming off its best season in over 40 years. The Tigers reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament last March for only the second time in school history — and the first time since 1980.

Kentucky was a No. 3 seed in the tournament but fell to No. 14 seed Oakland in the first round in John Calipari’s final game as Wildcats coach after 15 seasons. Amid mounting pressure, Calipari left Lexington for the Arkansas Razorbacks’ coaching job weeks later.

Mark Pope is entering his first season as Kentucky’s coach. A former Wildcats player who was a member of the school’s 1996 national championship team, Pope returned to Lexington back in April after five seasons as head coach at BYU.

Mark Pope is visiting the top player in the 2027 recruiting class

Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope is set to visit 2027 top recruit Ryan Hampton.

Ryan Hampton is a elite recruit in the 2027 class.

Kentucky basketball recruiting is heating up. Not only is coach Mark Pope working to load up the 2025 class, but he has begun to make moves to secure top players in 2026 and 2027 as well. One 2027 player being added to Pope’s list Ryan Hampton.

Hampton is currently ranked as the number one player in his class by On3. The 6’5″, 175 shooting guard out of Texas is also ranked in the top ten by ESPN Recruiting and Rivals.

Related: Kentucky on top of early recruiting rankings

Hampton has offers already from the Tennessee Volunteers, Auburn Tigers, and Texas Longhorns of the SEC along with several other programs. There will be many more offers to come over the next few seasons.

Per a report from Kentucky Sports Radio (subscription required), Pope is planning to visit Hampton next week to begin the recruiting process. That was told to KSR by Hampton’s father. An offer hasn’t been made yet, but could come soon.

An ESPN analyst examines the biggest question facing Kentucky basketball

ESPN’s Jeff Borzello ranks Kentucky is his top 25 and looks at the biggest question facing the Wildcats.

The 2024-25 season is set to be one of the most interesting years in Kentucky basketball history. New coach Mark Pope will have a completely new roster to work with after the late coaching change in the Spring.

The way the Wildcats are perceived in the college basketball world varies greatly. Many early rankings have them outside the top 25, while some think they could be better than expected.

Related: Kentucky vs Duke named top SEC/ACC match-up

ESPN writer Jeff Borzello released his top 25 on Monday, and he did list Kentucky in it, ranked 23rd. They are one of the nine SEC teams he ranked.

The biggest question, according to Borzello, is “How long will it take Mark Pope to piece things together?”

While there are other teams in the rankings that underwent rebuilds, none were as significant as Kentucky’s. Zero players returned to Lexington from last season, and Pope is bringing only one with him from BYU. There are a lot of intriguing players — and ample experience — on the Wildcats’ roster, but it could take time for them to mesh.

Borzello also predicted the Wildcats starting lineup. He has Kerr Kriisa, Otega Oweh, Jaxson Robinson, Andrew Carr, and Amari Williams as the starting five.

The Kentucky basketball season is approaching, and nobody is sure exactly how it will go. Borzello seems to like what they have, if they can put things together quickly enough.

Kentucky coach Mark Pope visits with a top ten 2026 recruit

Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope visited with 2026 recruit Ikenna Alozie.

Ikenna Alozie is a potential 2026 target for Kentucky basketball and Mark Pope

Mark Pope’s 2025 recruiting class for 2025 is currently sitting at the top of the rankings, although it’s very early. While he continues to work on 2025, he is also eyeing the 2026 recruiting class, and, on Friday, Ikenna Alozie according to Kentucky Sports Radio.

Alozie is currently ranked as the number 10 overall player in the 2026 class by 247sports. The 6’3″, 185 lb guard is the number one combo guard in their rankings.

Related: Kentucky in final six for Tounde Yessoufou

Kentucky hasn’t yet offered Alozie, but they clearly have interest, and took the time to meet with him. He does have offers from Villanova, Kansas, Louisville, and the Michigan Wolverines along with several others programs. More offers are sure to pour in as the season goes along.

Alozie is an explosive scorer, and could rise even higher in the rankings as he approaches his Senior season. Fans will want to keep an eye on him, and see if Pope extends a scholarship offer to the Junior guard.

Kentucky basketball gets huge commitment, lands elite five-star guard Jasper Johnson

5-star guard Jasper Johnson officially commits to Kentucky Basketball!

Five-star guard Jasper Johnson officially announced his intention to play for Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats Thursday.

Johnson made the announcement in a live stream carried by 247Sports and CBS Sports. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Atlanta’s Overtime Elite chose Kentucky over offers from Alabama and North Carolina. He is ranked the No. 12 player in the class of 2025 by both On3 and 247Sports.

“Coach Pope, I feel like he made a big commitment, took a lot of time and spoke a lot with me, so I feel like the trust was there between me and him and the coaching staff,” Johnson said at the live event where he announced his commitment. “Being from Lexington, Kentucky, I feel like that was an easy decision. I feel like I’m K.Y. till I die.”

With his commitment, Johnson becomes the second player in the 2025 recruiting class to commit to the Wildcats. Malachi Moreno, a four-star center from Great Crossing High School in Georgetown (Ky.), committed to Kentucky back on Aug. 16.

Johnson is the son of former Kentucky football player Dennis Johnson, a defensive end who played for the Wildcats from 1998-2001 and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2002 NFL Draft.

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Mark Pope and Kentucky basketball spent time building houses

Mark Pope and Kentucky basketball traveled to eastern Kentucky to help in the community.

Since Mark Pope became the head coach of the Kentucky basketball team, he has emphasized the importance of the people of the state. From prioritizing in-state recruits, to the constant referencing the fans, the Bluegrass State is a focus.

On Friday, Pope showed the importance of community in a more hands-on way. The Wildcats basketball team traveled to Hazard, Kentucky to assist an area that suffered from devastating storms and flooding recently.

Related: Mark Pope offers top in-state recruit of 2026

A lot of homes were destroyed in the 2022 floods in Hazard, and the cleanup is ongoing. The Wildcats were there helping out in some construction work, as shown in a video posted to the social platform X by the Kentucky men’s basketball account.

Seeing Pope and his team continue to build a relationship with the state of Kentucky is great to see. The players looked happy to be helping, and the fans in the area are certain to appreciate the time they took. Pope continues to endear himself to fans.

Date set for John Calipari’s return to Lexington to face Kentucky

John Calipari will return to face the Kentucky Wildcats on February 1 with the Arkansas Razorbacks in SEC play.

The SEC basketball schedule was released on Tuesday, giving fans a first look at when and where each conference game will take place in the 2024-25 college basketball season.

Without a doubt the most exciting matchup is Arkansas at Kentucky – the return of longtime Wildcats coach John Calipari to Lexington.

The game, which will take place on February 1, not only brings Cal back to the program he coached for 15 years and brought a national championship in 2012, it also marks the return of former Kentucky players DJ Wagner, Adou Thiero, and Zvonimir Ivisic who followed Calipari to Fayetteville in the transfer portal.

Calipari also snatched three recruits who were previously committed to Kentucky: Boogie Fland, Karter Knox, and Billy Richmond, giving BBN plenty of familiar faces to cheer against.

Calipari bolted for Arkansas this offseason after previous Hogs coach Eric Musselman took the open position at USC, replacing Andy Enfield. The ‘Cats brought in BYU coach Mark Pope to replace him.

Pope is an alumni who was team captain when Kentucky won the title under Rick Pitino in 1996, and he no doubt wants to secure a win here to prove to the fanbase he’s the right man for this job despite limited NCAA Tournament success prior to his hiring.

Mark Pope era at Kentucky one of ESPN’s top storylines for 2024-25

ESPN ranks Kentucky and the start of the Mark Pope era as its third-best storyline ahead of the 2024-25 season.

The arrival of the Mark Pope coaching era in Lexington was always going to be one of the most anticipated storylines of the 2024-25 college basketball season — the same as any other time Kentucky has introduced a new head coach.

With approximately 100 days remaining before Kentucky opens its season Nov. 4 against Wright State at Rupp Arena, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf recently named their 10 best storylines ahead of the season. Kentucky and the start of the Pope era was ranked No. 3.

UConn’s attempt at becoming the NCAA’s first three-peat champion since John Wooden’s UCLA teams won seven straight titles from 1967-73 was the No. 1 overall storyline. John Calipari’s first season in Fayetteville as Arkansas’ new coach was named the second-best storyline.

Per ESPN’s Medcalf:

“After whiffing on big-name candidates for its successor to John Calipari, the blueblood school ultimately landed on the former BYU coach and once-team captain on the 1995-96 Wildcats squad that won a national championship. It hasn’t mattered to Pope that he wasn’t the first choice, though, as he’s quickly turned early skepticism into optimism. Thousands of fans attended his introductory press conference at Rupp Arena. He has a top-25 team full of elite transfers. More importantly, he understands that, while he’s replacing John Calipari, the standard has not changed: he knows it’s always championship or bust in Lexington.”

Pope played two seasons in Lexington and was a captain on the Wildcats’ 1996 national championship team. He was named head coach on April 12 after Calipari left for Arkansas following his second first-round NCAA Tournament exit in three seasons.

In five seasons at BYU, Pope posted a 110-52 overall record and led the Cougars to two NCAA Tournament appearances. BYU lost to Duquesne in the first round of the tournament last March.

Kentucky is ranked No. 23 in ESPN’s preseason college basketball Top 25. Dick Vitale recently had the Wildcats in his way-too-early 2024-25 Sweet 16 projection.