When it comes to stepping on the hardwood, hanging out in the locker room or simply watching film, one of the most important assets to a college basketball team is the relationship between a head coach and his players.

It’s similar to a father-son relationship. 18-22 year-old “kids” set off to what seems like a foreign land with no parental guidance or family and have nothing but a coach and his staff to play that fatherly role for them at a pivotal time for development both in their lives and playing careers.

Fans have already seen the attitude and approach that newly wedded Kentucky men’s basketball coach Mark Pope has taken in building a strong connection with his team, flying to different parts of the country to meet with players, waiting in the airport terminal for recruits and transfers to get off of their flights and much more. All of those things are sure to do nothing but good things for the program as a whole.

Compared to most other college basketball teams — due to the assembly of a whole new roster in a short amount of time — Pope and the Kentucky team have just one summer and a slim amount of the school year to build relationships that will earn them good results on the court.

With players drawing in from all over the nation and leaving their respective coaches after transferring, one player that transferred to Kentucky that has already structured an ever-lasting relationship with Pope is Jaxson Robinson, the 6-foot, 7-inch guard who played two seasons under him at BYU.

“Our relationship is super close,” Robinson said before he officially committed to Kentucky. “I talk to him a lot. He tries to help me out when he can, so I’m making sure that I appreciate him for everything that he’s done for me, especially leading up to this point. He helped me get here. I couldn’t thank anybody else but Coach Pope.”

Robinson, a rising fifth-year senior, will not only provide a great amount of veteran leadership on the court, but will also lend a helping hand to the rest of the roster that is still adjusting to Pope’s coaching style as he had two full seasons to see, learn and adjust to the type of coach that he is.

“He (Robinson) has done a great job — just trying to show us the ropes a little bit,” Kentucky forward Andrew Carr said. “Especially the first couple of weeks with Coach Pope trying to put in different things within the offense and we’re all playing pickup or we’re all hanging out or doing whatever, Jaxson does a great job speaking up.”

Robinson has lived the in’s-and-out’s of a game day with Pope. From the team breakfast to tip-off, Robinson is in familiar territory with Pope’s game day routine and that can help the two of them, from a coach’s standpoint and a player’s standpoint, calm the nerves of the team, especially in the beginning of the year when the season is just getting going.

Robinson has also seen the way Pope adjusts to joining a new conference as BYU moved from the West Coast Conference (WCC) to the Big-12 last season, with the latter being one of the best conferences in college basketball along with the SEC. While returning walk-ons Grant Darybshire and Walker Horn have played in the SEC as a part of Kentucky prior, everyone else starred in other conferences like the Big-12, ACC, etc.

Year one in a super tough conference, Pope properly shaped BYU to compete in its first season with some loaded schools like Houston, Iowa State, Baylor and more, allowing the program’s transition to go more smoothly than most expected. The Cougars finished 23-11 overall and 10-8 in conference play (fifth place in the Big-12), while earning the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament before bowing out to No. 11 Duquesne in a first round upset.

Despite the team’s first round exit, Pope successfully transitioned the Cougars into a competitive state and Robinson witnessed a paramount example of how it was done, meaning the two can come together to ensure the new Kentucky roster can acclimate to the SEC properly and even be competitive in year one.

Robinson’s strong relationship with Pope should do nothing but unite the UK squad together and the fact that Robinson is a fifth-year senior will do wonders in terms of mentoring everyone from the freshmen up to his fellow fifth-years.

Rebuilding a program from scratch will never be an easy feat, even in a time when it’s easier than ever in the sport. Despite that, guys like Robinson are cornerstones and, as far as Kentucky is concerned, it may have a legitimate chance to compete in a renewed SEC thanks to an offseason with the coach-player duo.