Mark Pope Articles - Page 3

New Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope coached his first game Wednesday night as the Wildcats took on Kentucky Wesleyan in an exhibition matchup. Kentucky easily took care of business as they cruised to a 123-52 win. The competition wasn’t very difficult, but the Wildcats played how you would expect them to. One player that Mark […]

The Kentucky basketball team has a new head coach this season as Mark Pope has come over from BYU to lead the Wildcats. Former head coach John Calipari is still in the SEC as he is the head coach at Arkansas now. Pope is a former Kentucky basketball player, so he has formed a good […]

Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope is looking for a few good players to join his team. Pope and the Wildcats are holding an open tryout to find players, per ESPN. Pope says he’s looking for walk-ons. The Wildcats are hosting the tryout on August 30. Kentucky is asking players to submit their information about height, […]

Kentucky basketball head coach Mark Pope spoke to the media Tuesday to talk about not just the state of the team as it heads into the summer, but also about his predecessor in John Calipari. Pope would speak highly of the former Wildcats head coach during his press conference expressing that he “gave his heart […]

Although the folks in Lexington would want you to believe otherwise, the Kentucky basketball program hasn’t always sat atop the college basketball world. In the midst of countless high points over the last 80 or so years, the school has also had their lulls in success, including most recently, the four year window prior to […]

It’s a new chapter for Kentucky basketball, who are preparing for their first season following the departure of John Calipari. The team will be coached by Mark Pope, and it seems like the school is already bringing in new names to help him out. On Monday, Pope announced two new additions to the team staff. […]

Trey McKenney, a five-star recruit who is the top-ranked player in the state of Michigan, knows exactly what it is he wants out of the school he’ll eventually commit to at some point during his senior season at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Prep in Flint. The question for those in Lexington is, do the Kentucky […]

Mark Pope and the Kentucky basketball program are revamping their roster for the 2024-25 season. The departure of John Calipari and the 2024 NBA Draft have seen several players make migrate to and from the team. However, Pope and the Wildcats received huge news from former BYU basketball guard Jaxson Robinson on Thursday. Jaxson Robinson […]

It’s been nearly two months since John Calipari, the long-time head coach of the University of Kentucky basketball team, shockingly announced he’d be leaving the Wildcats to take on the head coaching job at SEC rival Arkansas. And even with as much time that has passed, it still feels a bit surreal that Coach Cal, […]

Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope is very excited about his team’s latest addition. Pope is dropping rave reviews about the Wildcats’ latest transfer, Ansley Almonor. Almonor previously played for Fairleigh Dickinson before committing to Kentucky basketball from the transfer portal. “Ansley is one of the best shooting mid-major bigs out there and he is a […]

Kentucky basketball head coach Mark Pope has big shoes to fill in the wake of John Calipari’s departure to Arkansas. However, Pope and Calipari have a strong relationship, which will undoubtedly help Pope navigate the waters with the Wildcats. Pope sounded off on his gratitude towards Calipari, via the College Hoops Today podcast. “Yeah, I […]

Kentucky basketball doesn’t seem to be lagging any money since the departure of John Calipari. The Wildcats have close to $700,000 in new recurring NIL contributions from fans since Mark Pope took over the program, per The Athletic. That number seems to be increasing day-to-day, based on program estimates, and doesn’t include the $5 million […]

Mark Pope, the new Kentucky basketball head coach, is in a tough position following John Calipari. While the end of the Calipari era likely left many Wildcats fans with a bitter taste in their mouths, Calipari’s ability to recruit can make expectations possibly too high for Pope to reach. But it looks like Pope has […]

Perhaps the most shocking coaching change of the offseason has taken place with the Kentucky basketball team. Head coach John Calipari left the Wildcats to go be the new head coach at Arkansas, and it left Kentucky search for a new head coach. The Wildcats missed on some of their top candidates, and they ended […]

Mark Pope is the new head coach of the Kentucky basketball team after John Calipari left the Wildcats to go coach at Arkansas. Pope recently came close to landing some big transfer portal commits, but he missed on a couple early on. Wednesday has been a big day for him as he has landed commits […]

Mark Pope is the new head coach of the Kentucky basketball team as he is replacing John Calipari, who left for Arkansas. Pope played his college basketball with the Wildcats, and he is now coming back to Lexington as a head coach. He made a big splash in the transfer portal on Wednesday as Dayton […]

It’s a new dawn for the Kentucky Wildcats. The program has moved on from John Calipari who became the new head coach at Arkansas following another disappointing finish in the NCAA Tournament. Mark Pope is set to take the helm as head coach for the Wildcats for the 2024-25 season. It’s been a busy offseason […]

The Kentucky Wildcats are ushering in a new era under new head coach Mark Pope. It will be the first time since 2009 that John Calipari is not at the helm for the Wildcats. As expected, when Calipari left to become the head coach at Arkansas, it created a ripple effect for the Wildcats roster. […]

The NCAA transfer portal got yet another entry Saturday, as BYU basketball’s Jaxson Robinson decided to enter his name. Robinson explained the recent change of leadership at the school is a primary reason why he’s testing the waters. “The reason I am entering the transfer portal is because of the new coaching change at BYU,” […]

The Kentucky basketball team has announced its latest hire to Coach Mark Pope’s staff and it’s Alvin Brooks III, who hails from Baylor University where has been an assistant to national title winning coach Scott Drew for the last eight years. Brooks III will be added in hopes of taking Kentucky back to the promised […]

There’s a new head honcho in Lexington and the first order of business is to get new recruits. The Kentucky basketball program lost quite a few commitments and had some players hit the NCAA Transfer Portal and NBA Draft after John Calipari left. So, Coach Mark Pope has to patch up the holes in their […]

The Kentucky basketball team has a new head coach as former player Mark Pope is coming over from BYU to coach the Wildcats. Pope was a captain of the the 1996 Kentucky team that won the national title, and after John Calipari left to coach at Arkansas, Pope was hired as his replacement. The hire […]

Mark Pope left the BYU basketball program to take on the head coaching role at Kentucky. As a result, the Cougars were forced to find his replacement. Surprisingly enough, the program pulled off a brilliant move hiring a highly coveted assistant of the Phoenix Suns. The Cougars officially hired Kevin Young as Mark Pope’s replacement […]

The new era at Kentucky basketball is underway as former BYU head coach Mark Pope takes over following John Calipari’s exit to Arkansas. The press conference for Pope was one-of-a-kind at a jam-packed Rupp Arena, so expectations are high for him. But, he just landed his first major commitment of his Kentucky run by bringing […]

With John Calipari on his way to Fayetteville to coach the Arkansas Razorbacks, it’s the dawning of a new era of Kentucky basketball in Lexington. But for as much excitement as there seemed to be with the arrival of new head coach (and former Kentucky Wildcat) Mark Pope, there is so much work that needs […]

Kentucky introduced Mark Pope as the new head coach of the men’s basketball team on Sunday, and he made an epic entrance in front of a packed Rupp Arena crowd with his teammates from the 1996 championship team. Possibly the most badass entrance ever into Rupp Arena. The 1996 Kentucky championship team walks out of […]

Kentucky basketball is losing a player to transfer portal amid the departure of former Wildcats head coach John Calipari and the arrival of Mark Pope to Lexington, with Jeff Borzell of ESPN reporting that Zvonimir Ivisic is looking to take his talents somewhere else. NEWS: Kentucky freshman Zvonimir Ivisic has entered the transfer portal, source […]

Kentucky basketball has a new leader, for the first time since 2009. Mark Pope is now the head coach at Kentucky, after leading BYU to the NCAA tournament this past season. Pope is a name that many Kentucky fans are familiar with, as he was a member of the 1996 team under Rick Pitino that […]

Kentucky basketball is nothing if not well-funded. The Wildcats have already landed on their feet after losing championship-winning head coach John Calipari. Following their hire of BYU’s Mark Pope on Friday, Kentucky is apparently receiving $4 million in additional NIL backing, via Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio. The sizable donation comes from two separate […]

Lexington is teeming with emotions on Friday, ranging from outrage to tentative optimism, following the hiring of new Kentucky basketball head coach Mark Pope. Regardless of how one feels about the former Wildcats captain and BYU leader, they were probably surprised to see that athletic director Mitch Barnhart did not bring in a bigger name. […]

The Kentucky basketball team dropped a shocking first round NCAA Tournament game to the Oakland basketball team from Auburn Hills, Michigan this March. The Wildcats were stunned and dismayed in every way possible, causing Coach John Calipari to fly the chicken coop in pursuit of a better fit with Arkansas basketball. On Friday, new coach […]

John Calipari recently made the surprising decision to leave the Kentucky basketball team for the head coaching job at Arkansas. The Wildcats went through their head coaching search and there were some potential candidates that passed on the gig. Kentucky ended up hiring BYU head coach and former Wildcats player Mark Pope, and former Kentucky […]

The college basketball coaching carousel continues to churn with Mark Pope the latest seismic move to take place. Andy Enfield leaving the USC Trojans to become the head coach at SMU has allowed dominoes of epic proportions to fall in it’s wake. After Eric Musselman left Arkansas for the USC job, the Razorbacks responded by […]

The Kentucky basketball program has been searching for a new head coach after John Calipari left for Arkansas. However, just days after Calipari’s departure, the team has zeroed in on a new leader. Kentucky is targeting BYU basketball’s Mark Pope as its new coach, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports. A deal is expected to come together […]

The past few weeks have been a rollercoaster for the Kentucky basketball team. First, the Wildcats came into the NCAA Tournament as a three seed and had high hopes for a deep run after a good regular season. However, they fell victim to the biggest upset in the first round as they lost to 14 […]

After an impressive NCAA Tournament run with BYU, Mark Pope is inheriting the Kentucky basketball program from John Calipari. A lot of Wildcats fans have raised their eyebrows at this move but the deal is already done. All they can do now is observe if Lexington would go back to their winning ways with their […]

The Kentucky basketball program is going through a major change in leadership after the departure of John Calipari. The Wildcats have begun a deep search for their next head coach, and BYU basketball’s Mark Pope has emerged as a candidate, CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reports. Pope comes to light after Scott Drew dropped out of […]

Who would have thought that one of Coach John Calipari’s closest friends and a hot-handed shooter from Oakland would have ushered in a new era of Kentucky basketball? This move to start anew with Arkansas is shocking but not at all unexpected. After having an insanely talented squad with Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham, the […]

Yes, we have more Taylor Swift-sports news to report! After being linked to the Kansas City Chiefs all season long due to her relationship with tight end Travis Kelce, Swift is apparently inspiring college basketball teams now. In fact, BYU basketball head coach Mark Pope credited Swift’s lucky No. 13 for the team’s impressive 2023-24 […]