New Kentucky men’s basketball coach Mark Pope arrives at Bluegrass airport

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – University of Kentucky’s new men’s basketball coach Mark Pope has arrived back in the commonwealth after landing in Lexington Saturday afternoon.

“This is like true blue at all angles,” said Kathleen Raque, a member of Big Blue Nation and Louisville resident.

The hiring of Mark Pope came as the names of multiple candidates were being floated around for the role.

As the news settles in, some in Big Blue Nation are gearing up for the new era of Kentucky men’s basketball.

“The more I’ve talked to people, the more I’ve sort of even researched it myself, I think that he will bring a lot of good new energy to the program,” said Russell Glass, a sophomore at UK. “Being an alumnus, […] he’ll care about it a lot in a way that I don’t think a lot of other people would.”

Pope played for the Cats in the 90s, serving as a captain for the University of Kentucky’s 1996 national championship team.

“I love all of the people who are saying ‘in Pope we hope,’ I think that’s a great saying,” said Raque.

In Pope, some fans hope to see a revitalized program.

“BYU did not have NIL funding or the recruiting name that Kentucky has. Kentucky has all of the resources college basketball could ask for,” said Caleb Lane, a student at Indiana University.

With the news still fresh, there are still questions about how Pope will compare to his predecessor, Coach John Calipari, who left UK for the University of Arkansas heading coaching job.

“I’m curious how much of the players coming in was for the UK nameplate or how much was for him,” said Mario Garza, a sophomore at UK. “I’m curious how Mark Pope is going to go about recruiting and if he’s going to even be able to come close to what Coach Cal was able to do.”

Even with questions still in the air, members of the UK faithful are putting their hope in Pope.

“I don’t think the pressure will bother him because he had the pressure as a player,” said Raque. “I know it’s going to be different, but we are supporting him, I hope he knows that.”

Pope is the just the 8th UK men’s basketball coach of the modern era.

A Mark Pope news conference will be held at Rupp Arena on Sunday, April 14. It is an event that is open the public.

Doors will open at 3:30 p.m. It is set to begin at 4:30 p.m. While a ticket is not needed, it is treated as any event with the clear bag policy.

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