It’s been a wild two weeks in BBN but we finally have some clarity. As the news was breaking that John Calipari was leaving Kentucky for the Arkansas Razorbacks BBN there was surprise, anger, and then finally a look to the future. Scott Drew, Dan Hurley, Nate Oats, and Billy Donovan were all immediately linked to the Kentucky job but all fell through for various reasons. Within the span of an afternoon Mark Pope was reported to have gotten a interview to suddenly being the new head coach of our Kentucky Wildcats. The reaction was…angry at first, but BBN rallied quickly behind one of their own. Sunday was a massive flex from the fan base and has officially but the rest of the CBB world on notice. Lets dive into what we can expect from our new HC.
Offensive Savant
For a long time Mark Pope has been known as an innovative offensive mind. In 2015 Pope took over a Utah Valley program that had only been D1 for 12 years. They were coming off an 11-19 season with the 333rd ranked offense according to Kenpom. In Pope’s first year (the pre-portal era so no massive influx of talent) the Wolverines won just one extra game but finished the year ranked 268th in AdjO. By his third season Utah Valley was ranked 73rd in AdjO. At BYU the Cougars jumped from 46th the season before Pope to 7th in his first year.
The numbers tell a story but the eye test confirms. Those of us who have tuned into late-night WCC basketball have been salivating over Pope’s sets for years. By now everyone has heard how he uses the vaunted Zoom action to put smart and skilled players in position to react to defenses in real time.
The best news is that we got a look at what Pope’s offense will look like in a Big Boy conference as BYU made the jump to the B12. The metrics are promising as BYU was able to carve up some of the best defensive teams/coaches in the country and ended up with the 14th best offense according to Kenpom.
Development
Mark Pope has built his coaching career identifying the right players and developing them as players in his sets. COVID, the portal, and NIL did a number on BYU’s roster construction model as programs around them were able to upgrade talent immediately. Pope kept the faith with his talent ID and development and took a team that finished 5th in the WCC into the B12 and won games over Kansas, Baylor, and Iowa State.
Most of the team had been in the program for multiple seasons and made significant leaps in one of the best conferences in college basketball. The best example of this is Jaxson Robinson. A former top 100 recruit who spent time in the SEC (Texas A&M and Arkansas) but blew up in his two years with Mark Pope and was the 6th Man of the Year in the B12 this past year. Would be interesting to see if something similar can happen with Jordan Burks.
Being One of Us
The most important aspect of the Kentucky job is actually wanting it. Being the head coach of Kentucky requires a personality that is in rare supply. You need the ego to believe you can win while also having the humility to acknowledge you are but a small part of Kentucky basketball. Scott Drew is an amazing person, but he didn’t have the personality to lead this thing the way it deserves. Danny Hurley has the ego but I’ve seen nothing in the way of humility to lead more than a basketball team. Billy Donovan has run from the Kentucky job twice before and I never felt comfortable when his name was mentioned.
In steps a man who knows what this program is about and embraces it. In his opening press conference Mark Pope did not deflect expectations. He acknowledged they were there and that he wanted them. Winning is in this program’s DNA and Mark Pope is a part of that. Normally, I think things can go really wrong when you hire people just because they’re “family” but as a Blue-Blood in CBB I think it helps in the modern era. There is a reason that both Duke and UNC went this route (with less proven coaches).
Where Do We Go From Here
From here on out there is no need to look back. Mitch Barnhart has taken a major risk on a guy he believes can lead Kentucky into a new era. Kentucky fans are going to have to be patient if they want this thing built right. I think we could see the roster not be filled well into May. I also don’t expect this first team to be anything close to a contender in the SEC.
As of typing this, Kentucky has four players that are on scholarship for next season. Those players are Jordan Burks, Reed Sheppard, Travis Perry and as of this morning Collin Chandler (we’ll have a breakdown later). I would expect we hear Reed going to the draft before the weekend. I have no read on what Jordan Burks wants but I’d guess he goes portaling. Mark Pope faces a serious challenge as he tries to build a roster. He must build a staff that he can trust while also building relationships with recruits/portal guys. It’s going to be an exciting month and I’m anxious to see how it breaks down. As we get some roster news we’ll have a breakdown of how each new piece fits with Mark Pope’s system.
Go Cats
