New Kentucky men’s basketball head coach Mark Pope was introduced to fans for the first time on Sunday after being hired on Friday.
Pope arrived to a packed house inside Rupp Arena, with tens of thousands of fans excited to see the new man in charge, so much so that some fans were turned away at the door.
Riding in on a bus with legends from the history of Kentucky men’s basketball, including Jeff Sheppard, Rex Chapman and Jack “Goose” Givens, with trophies displayed next to the stage, Pope received a massive ovation from fans.
Finally speaking to fans for the first time since being hired and made an immediate impact, disregarding the new Kentucky jersey made for his hiring in favor of bringing out his old one — the one he wore as a player when he helped lead Kentucky to the 1996 national championship.
“This jersey comes from a hallowed place in my home because it is a jersey I got to wear with my teammates and all of Kentucky in the national championship games in the Meadowlands of New York,” Pope said. “That’s not just a jersey that will go in the closet. It is a jersey that has blood, sweat, and tears and love and it is all of us together.”
Understanding the implications, Pope decided to extend an arm to big blue nation for something it had been desperately missing for years and decided against setting small goals.
“Every coach in America at every other job in America stands up at the press conference and they try and moderate expectations,” he said. “We don’t do that here at Kentucky. When Mitch (Barnhart) called me and talked to me about being the head coach here at Kentucky, I understand the assignment. We are here to win banners and as we go through this journey, we’re here to win banners in Nashville, because you guys turn out in Nashville like nobody else and that matters. And our job here, our assignment, is to go win banners in the Final Four, win national championships. That’s our job.”
With fans firmly on his side, Pope continued addressing the desires of many Kentucky fans, implying UK will attempt to rejoin the Maui Invitational — a college basketball tournament featuring some of the best teams in the sport in Hawaii — and set up more interesting home-and-home series.
He also expressed a deep understanding for what Kentucky fans want players to feel: an attachment not just to the head coach, but an attachment to the entire program, state and fans.
“So you will hear from me every single day, 24/7 work, relentless 24/7 work. I learned that here,” Pope said. “I learned about gratitude here at Kentucky. I learned so much about gratitude. Entitlement leads to sorrow and depression. And gratitude leads to joy. And I will tell you this, you know all these players know, what all of the future players will learn really quick, is that they are not doing those jerseys a favor by letting the jerseys clothe them. 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.”
Speaking for nearly half an hour — and taking media questions for another half hour — it’s safe to say Pope solidly won over many doubters within BBN, who will now be excited to see the program he will build as he continues his journey toward building a roster and coaching staff.
Acknowledging 2024 commit Travis Perry, who was in attendance along with current Cats Grant Darbyshire, Kareem Watkins and Walker Horn, Pope expressed excitement and vowed to work tirelessly to put together a strong team for the 2024-25 season.
