"I have to be me" - Mark Pope shares his feelings on succeeding John Calipari as Kentucky's head coach

After the shocking transfer of John Calipari to Arkansas, Mark Pope became the new coach of Kentucky men's basketball. Since his hiring in April, he has been actively working to rebuild the program in the offseason.

When Pope was compared with Calipari, who led the Wildcats to four Final Fours during his time, he was quoted by Jack Pilgrim as saying:

"He's one of the best to ever do it, went to four Final Fours in five years. ... You just have to coach you. I have to be me. I can't be Tubby, I can't be Coach P, I can't be Cal. ... I love getting to coach me."

Pope looks forward to the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks, which will see Calipari returning to Kentucky. Pope also talked about his relationship with Calipari to Fox Sports.

"I've spent a lot of time with him [Calipari], and he's been so generous and gracious with me my whole career," Pope said. "I think he's that way to everybody, and he's one of the greatest ambassadors of the game. What he did here at Kentucky is super special, man. It's really is incredible."

Pope also shared his experience while recruiting players for Kentucky. He has recruited big names like Jaxson Robinson, a BYU transfer, Kerr Kriisa from West Virginia, and Brandon Garrison from Oklahoma State.

Mark Pope is having an amazing time at Kentucky

Syndication: The Courier-Journal

The arrival of Mark Pope at Kentucky has given him a big responsibility for the upcoming season. This comes after John Calipari's successful time at the program.

"Every time that I get to walk into a building with UK on my chest, it just feels different recruiting and it looks different. I'm a way handsomer guy. It just comes out of my soul," Pope said in the press conference after Kentucky's sixth off-season practice.

After signing the big names at Kentucky, Pope is reportedly looking to secure the services of one or two more staff positions at the program.