Breaking News; Kentucky Coach mark pope Accepted a deal over £432.2m to depart from the team after the …
His history as a coach, however, makes the hire quite a surprise.
Pope has worked as a head coach since 2015 at BYU and Utah Valley. With the Cougars, he has posted a 110-52 record in five seasons, with two NCAA tournament berths. His teams failed to win a game in both appearances, getting upset as a No. 6 seed in the first round of both.
John Calipari left Kentucky after another 1st-round exit
There was some speculation that Kentucky would be looking for a head coach this offseason, but not because of Calipari choosing to go elsewhere.
Calipari’s approval rating among Wildcats fans has steadily decreased since he won a national championship in 2012, and it hit an all-time low last month, when Kentucky was bounced in the first round of March Madness as a No. 3 seed by No. 14 seed Oakland. It marked the second time in three years that Kentucky had lost in the first round, with only one win in the tournament since 2019
UConn’s Dan Hurley. Alabama’s Nate Oats. Baylor’s Scott Drew. The Chicago Bulls’ Billy Donovan. All of these were presented as options, and they quickly went nowhere. Oats released a statement affirming his commitment to the Crimson Tide. Hurley laughed them off the stage after the national championship game. Drew appeared to consider the job, then stuck with the Bears. Donovan was reportedly never seriously pursued despite being potentially interested.
There’s no telling how widely Kentucky searched before landing on Pope, but it’s hard to imagine a very hungry fan base being happy with the hire after the possibilities that were initially presented
