When John Calipari left the Kentucky Wildcats, some people thought this would be the beginning of a very tough time for the program. Then, they weren’t so high on Mark Pope.
Pope had never logged a top recruit or won a game in the NCAA Tournament during his days at BYU. And even after he put together a strong roster, some still had doubts about him.
Now, the Wildcats can help him get his first-ever win in March Madness. However, when asked about that, he brushed off that and talked about how this was much bigger than him.
Mark Pope doesn’t want the tournament to be about himself
“It just doesn’t really matter. Like, that doesn’t even register for me,” Pope said. “Guys, if this is about me, then it’s just dumb. I didn’t come to Kentucky to make this about me. Like, I actually have no interest in me. I have interest in our team, I have interest in this program, I have interest in this tradition. I have interest in these guys who made this bold and brazen decision to come here with nothing proven to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to go make our mark on this game’ — which they’ve done so incredibly well this season.”
At the end of the day, it’s safe to say that he’s already exceeded expectations for his first campaign in charge of the program, especially considering he had yet to prove himself at this kind of stage.
The Wildcats might not be the team to beat at this point, but it seems like the program is still in great hands despite John Calipari’s departure and the transfer portal frenzy.