The former player was praised by his college head coach, who said Pope will “go onto greatness”
Despite initial reports from ABC’s Lexington, Kentucky-affiliate reporters Faran Foster and Forrest Tucker that former Wildcats coach Rick Pitino was interested in the vacant Kentucky head coaching position, the St. John’s men’s basketball coach was never a serious candidate. According to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, no contact was made between Pitino and Kentucky.
Instead, the Wildcats hired a former player coached by Pitino. BYU head coach Mark Pope has been named as the next Kentucky men’s basketball head coach, according to the University of Kentucky.
On Friday afternoon, Rick Pitino posted a video message on Twitter effusively praising Pope, saying his former player is one of the premier young coaches in the sport and predicts Pope would win a National Championship as the new head coach of Kentucky men’s basketball.
— Rick Pitino (@RealPitino) April 12, 2024
Pitino even went further in a phone interview with ESPN Lexington radio host Alan Cutler, saying he would support Kentucky’s NIL initiatives.
Pope played two seasons at Washington before transferring to Kentucky to play for Rick Pitino in 1993. After sitting out the 1993-94 season due to NCAA transfer rules, Pope became a star for the Wildcats in his two seasons in Lexington, winning two SEC championships and the 1995-96 National Championship.