Kentucky

Mark Pope reflects on when he first wanted to be the Kentucky coach

Published

2 weeks ago

April 16, 2024

Mark Pope reflects on when he first wanted to be the Kentucky coach

Mark Pope wasn’t always going to be a basketball coach. Once he decided to make that career choice, though, Kentucky was always the job that was the apex on that path.

Pope spoke about wanting the Wildcats’ head coaching job during the first edition of his local radio show on Monday. He started by explaining why he, a Rhodes Scholar and medical student at Columbia University, was best off to step away from the profession in favor of returning to the hardwood.

“I think I actually made this comment. I love talking about this,” Pope prefaced as he laughed. “The truth is is that, when I dropped out of medical school, the entire medical community rejoiced. Survival rates multiplied exponentially. That was probably my greatest gift to the healthcare profession.”

That decision led Pope back to the basketball court at several jobs over the past 15 years. It included assistant roles at Georgia, Wake Forest, and BYU before becoming a head coach at Utah Valley and, most recently, at BYU.

However, the opening of the gig at Kentucky was a whole new ball game for him. It was a seat that John Calipari had filled for a decade and a half. It was also one that the program was quickly considering new options for.

Still, once the coaching search got to Pope, it became the realization of an aspiration for him to return to his alma mater and take, in his opinion, the best job in college basketball.

“I think, my whole life after that, the unimaginable dream of someday being able to be associated with a staff at the University of Kentucky? I mean it is the ultimate in college basketball,” said Pope. “This is the best job. This is the best school. It’s the best team. It’s the best fanbase. It is the pinnacle of college basketball. It also is at the core of everything in my being, my whole heart.”

Pope played for the Wildcats back from 1993 through 1996 under Rick Pitino. That included his senior season where he was a captain on The Untouchables, a team that won the national title in ’96.

Becoming a coach at Kentucky, let alone the head coach, was something that was beyond belief at times for Pope, which the initial fan reaction to his hire evidenced. Still, it’s now very much his reality as the new leader of the Wildcats and the Big Blue Nation.

“It seemed like something that would be unapproachable – yet here we are together,” smiled Pope.

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Kentucky

Kentucky Derby 2024: Cheat Sheet for racing form, past performances, start time, jockeys, post positions, odds

Published

2 hours ago

April 29, 2024

Press Room

Kentucky Derby 2024: Cheat Sheet for racing form, past performances, start time, jockeys, post positions, odds

The prep races are done, posts have been drawn and it’s full steam ahead to the 2024 Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs. The 20-horse field is set and Fierceness is the 5-2 favorite in the 2024 Kentucky Derby odds despite drawing a long trip around from the No. 17 post. Sierra Leone (3-1) will have to battle traffic near the rail after drawing the No. 2 stall for the Kentucky Derby 2024. So who are the serious 2024 Kentucky Derby contenders and how should you bet the 150th Run for the Roses with the help of a 2024 Kentucky Derby cheat sheet?

Pedigree, connections, recent history and running style are all considerations that you have to make before placing any 2024 Kentucky Derby bets. With so much information available for horse racing handicappers, having a reliable 2024 Kentucky Derby cheat sheet can help give you a leg up as you put together tickets for the first leg of the horse racing Triple Crown. Before making any 2024 Kentucky Derby picks for the annual Run for the Roses, you need to see our 2024 Kentucky Derby cheat sheet and past performance featuring analysis from renowned horse racing handicapper Jody Demling.

A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling enters the 2024 Kentucky Derby having nailed the winner of the Belmont Stakes four of the last six years, including an exacta in 2022 with Mo Donegal and Nest. He also called Flightline’s win at the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November of that year.

Demling is at his best in the biggest horse races in the world like the Kentucky Derby 2024. In fact, he has hit 10 of the last 15 Derby-Oaks doubles at Churchill Downs. That means he held a ticket with the winners of both races all but five times in the last 15 years. He’s also called 10 of the last 19 Preakness winners, including nailing his Preakness winner, exacta and superfecta picks in 2023, keenly understanding when the Kentucky Derby winner was poised for victory or a massive upset. Anyone who has followed him is up huge.

Now, with the 2024 Kentucky Derby odds already on the board, SportsLine has teamed up with Demling to provide a complete 2024 Kentucky Derby cheat sheet racing form with connections, past performances, speed figures, expert picks and more, all to save you time on your Kentucky Derby bets. Go here to see it.

2024 Kentucky Derby cheat sheet

With SportsLine’s Kentucky Derby 2024 cheat sheet, you’ll get valuable information for every horse in the 2024 Kentucky Derby field. The Kentucky Derby cheat sheet will give you post position, connections, odds, career record, earnings, past performances and speed figures. You’ll also get analysis from Demling on each horse, including his breakdown of race favorite Fierceness.

With the fastest speed figure of any horse in this year’s crop of three-year-olds, marquee wins at the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the Florida Derby, and arguably the most accomplished connections in the field, Fierceness is a deserving favorite. However, consistency has been an issue at times, as he followed up his maiden win by finishing seventh in the Champagen Stakes and then finished third in the Holy Bull Stakes after an impressive win at Santa Anita during the Breeders’ Cup. Here is Fierceness at a glance ahead of the 150th Kentucky Derby.

Fierceness

Post position: 17
Trainer: Todd Pletcher (Kentucky Derby winner in 2010, 2017)
Jockey: John Velazquez (Kentucky Derby winner in 2011, 2017, 2020)
Odds: 5-2
Career earnings: $1,703,850 (second in Derby field)
Career record (starts-win-place-show): 5-3-0-1
Notable win: Florida Derby (G1)
Best consensus speed figure: 110 (first in Derby field)
Last Race: 1st by 13.5 Florida Derby (G1)

With the Kentucky Derby 2024 cheat sheets from SportsLine, you can get a breakdown and important details on every horse in the field on Saturday. Click here for everything you need as a horse racing handicapper ahead of the 150th Kentucky Derby.

How to make 2024 Kentucky Derby picks, bets

Demling is also especially high an EPIC double-digit longshot who “keeps getting better and better.” See all of Demling’s picks and analysis now plus give yourself a head start on your research with our 2024 Kentucky Derby cheat sheet racing form featuring past performances and more. This Kentucky Derby 2024 cheat sheet can save you a lot of time and give you a leg up ahead of the first race of the Triple Crown.

Who wins the 2024 Kentucky Derby, and how can our 2024 Kentucky Derby cheat sheets make you a better horse racing handicapper? Check out the latest 2024 Kentucky Derby odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling’s Kentucky Derby picks and see all the intel on the 2024 Kentucky Derby field with our 2024 Kentucky Derby cheat sheet and past performance.

2024 Kentucky Derby odds, futures

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Kentucky

Monday Headlines: Great Osobor Watch

Published

9 hours ago

April 29, 2024

Press Room

After being introduced as the new coach of the Kentucky Wildcats a few weeks ago, Mark Pope is putting together quite the roster for his first year coaching the Wildcats.

Kentucky most likely won’t return a single player from last year’s team, but that means Pope has more roster spots to fill with his guys and he’s doing a terrific job so far.

Pope has wasted zero time adding Amari Williams (Drexel University), Andrew Carr (Wake Forest), Collin Chandler (recruit), Lamont Butler (San Diego State), Otega Oweh (Oklahoma) and retaining Kentucky Mr. Basketball Travis Perry.

Now, he’ll meet with Utah State transfer Great Osobor in Lexington.

Osobor led the Aggies in points (17.7), rebounds (9) and blocks (1.4) last season.

Considering Kentucky already has Carr and Williams at the center spot, Osobor could slide in at either forward spot (depending on how big/small Pope wants his lineup to be) and make an immediate impact at both ends of the floor.

Per Kentucky Sports Radio, Osobor’s family will travel from England and join him on his visit.

Pope and his assistants appear to be establishing a culture and hand-picking veteran guys in the transfer portal with winning attitudes. In addition to Osobor’s meeting this week, Pope is schedule to meet with Dayton transfer Koby Brea on Tuesday.

Check back here for more updates on Pope’s roster build.

Tweet of the Day

Mark Pope is committed to the grind.

Headlines

No. 4 Kentucky drops weekend series at No. 24 South Carolina – Cats Pause

The Cats have now lost back-to-back series.

UK Fan gets Unique Chance to Meet Mark Pope – Vaught’s Views

BBN is on cloud nine right now.

McIlroy, Lowry win Zurich Classic in playoff – ESPN

This was a fun event.

Sheppard Made Right Choice Heading To NBA – Vaught’s Views

Just made sense.

Mark Daigneault wins NBA Coach of the Year – USA Today

Well-deserved.

Andru Phillips Ready to Begin NFL Work with Giants – Vaught’s Views

He should have an immediate role.

Georgia reels in Arizona State QB transfer Jaden Rashada – 247Sports

Potential starter for 2025.

Wake Forest transfer Andrew Carr commits to Kentucky – KSR

Sunday night fireworks.

2024 PGA Championship odds, field – CBS Sports

Coming to Louisville in two weeks.

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Kentucky

Kentucky lands former Wake Forest forward Andrew Carr

Published

17 hours ago

April 29, 2024

Press Room

Kentucky lands former Wake Forest forward Andrew Carr

It’s looking more every day like Kentucky will actually field a full roster under new coach Mark Pope — and it’s shaping up to be a pretty good one. A very old one, too. Pope has been on the job for just 16 days and inherited a roster of zero scholarship players. Now he has six.

Andrew Carr, a 6-foot-11 forward from Wake Forest, became the latest addition and fourth transfer to pick Pope and the Wildcats. He gives Pope’s high-octane, 3-point-heavy offense a legitimate stretch-4. Carr averaged 13.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 blocks last season for the Demon Deacons — and he made 37 percent of his 3s on almost 100 attempts.

Also notable: Carr has played 117 college games and made 112 starts. He’s part of a dramatic makeover in the makeup of Kentucky’s roster, which was perpetually young under Pope’s predecessor, John Calipari. This new group already has Carr, former San Diego State guard Lamont Butler (131 games, 102 starts), former Drexel center Amari Williams (105 games, 79 starts) and former Oklahoma guard Otega Oweh (60 games, 37 starts).

Even one of the Cats’ two incoming freshmen, former top-40 recruit Collin Chandler, is 20 years old after serving a two-year Mormon mission. And Kentucky is only going to keep getting older as it continues building out the roster through the transfer portal.

Pope hosted former Saint Mary’s guard Aidan Mahaney (69 games, 60 starts) for a visit over the weekend. He’ll host former Utah State forward Great Osobor (104 games, 38 starts) and former Minnesota guard Elijah Hawkins (92 games, 88 starts) for visits this week. Pope’s best player at BYU, 6-foot-7 wing Jaxson Robinson (96 games, 44 starts), also just entered the transfer portal and the Wildcats will be a major player for his services.

As for the latest addition, Carr might be the most skilled player on the roster so far. He had 31 points and 11 rebounds against Georgia in the NIT this season, dropped 28 points on eventual Final Four team NC State and had 26 points, six boards, three blocks, two steals and two assists in a win over Florida. He also had a 12-and-12 double-double against Virginia, an 18-point game against Duke and 17 points, five rebounds and three assists against Clemson.

Not only is he a strong addition, but Carr represents another big recruiting win for Pope. Carr came to Lexington straight from a visit to Texas Tech. Then he took a visit to Villanova right after the trip to Kentucky. And by Sunday night, he announced his commitment to the Cats. This on the heels of Pope’s whirlwind to end last week: he hosted Oweh on Thursday, locked up a commitment and flew across the country to Las Vegas on Friday to close the deal on Butler. He was back in Lexington that same night to welcome Mahaney and Carr.

That’s how you go from zero to six players in 16 days.