Unbelievable; so sad that Kentucky have decided to let go of a great Coach as he…
Kentucky is reportedly zeroing in on its next head coach. It’s a name few were expecting when John Calipari vacated the job.
The Wildcats are finalizing a five-year deal with BYU head coach Mark Pope, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Pope played two seasons at Kentucky in the 90s, redshirting a season after transferring from Washington and then playing from 1994 to 1996 under Rick Pitino, winning a title in his senior year. That’s a positive on Pope’s résumé as he takes over a blue blood
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 sinc(e 2019.
