Former Duke Blue Devils starter Jay Bilas had high praise for Mark Pope after the coach’s first 500 days in front of the Kentucky Wildcats. After playing for the Wildcats from 1994 to 1996, which included a national championship in his second season with the team, Pope returned to his alma mater last year, taking over from legendary coach John Calipari.
He had huge shoes to fill, but Pope didn’t back down from the challenge and got to work to make his team a competitive one. Amid doubts about his ability to lead one of the most traditional programs in college basketball, Pope proved doubters wrong and led the team to eight top-15 wins and their first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2019.
They couldn’t move past the Tennessee Volunteers, but Pope demonstrated that he wasn’t a slouch. If anything, he’s just starting to make a name for himself in this industry.
Jay Bilas details what makes Mark Pope a “home run” for the Wildcats
In a conversation with KSR on the Sources Say Podcast this week, Bilas lauded Mark Pope’s mindset after many people doubted him. He didn’t arrive at the best situation following Calipari’s departure, but did a terrific job with the tools he was given.
“I don’t know that you can ever feel like anyone’s a fit for that job — it’s such a demanding job, as you guys know,” Bilas said. “There are so many great candidates for a job like Kentucky, but Mark was a home run. And I think 501 days ago, like most people, I didn’t know what to expect other than it was going to be a positive environment and a really good offense, because Mark’s one of the best offensive coaches in the game.”
With Pope about to enter another season in charge of the program, the Wildcats are expected to reach the next level and make more noise in the 2025-26 NCAA season.