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While his hiring many have been a surprise, Mark Pope has a large footprint across the scope of college basketball.
The former Washington and Kentucky star has earned his stripes as a player and coach. For those getting to know Pope or seeking a refresher in his background, here's his story:
Mark Pope as a player
Pope was initially signed by the University of Washington. He played two years with the Huskies and made a significant impact. He was voted the Pac-12 Rookie of the Year in his freshman season, when he averaged 10.3 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per game.
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After a solid sophomore season for Pope (12.2 ppg), Washington coach Lynn Nance was fired. Opportunity led him to Kentucky, after Nance reached out to Kentucky coach Rick Pitino. Pope entered the school and redshirted for a season as a transfer.
In his two remaining seasons, Pope was mostly a bench player for Kentucky. He started 14 of 69 games in Lexington. Pope was a solid contributor, averaging 7.9 ppg and 5.7 rpg for the Wildcats. He earned All-SEC Tournament honors in 1995.
However, the culmination of Pope's college career was winning a 1996 NCAA title at Kentucky. On a Kentucky team with nine future NBA players, Pope's veteran leadership and maturity were consequential.
Pope had four points in the title game but drilled a pair of key free throws late to help Kentucky win the title.
Pope as a Pro
Pope parlayed his success into being taken with the 52nd pick of the 1996 NBA Draft.
He was the definition of an NBA journeyman, playing in 153 games over parts of six NBA seasons. Pope averaged 1.9 ppg and 1.7 rpg in playing for the Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets.
Pope seriously considered medical school after his NBA days, but instead, he felt the pull of basketball once more, getting dragged into coaching.
Early coaching years of Mark Pope
Pope became the director of basketball operations at Georgia in 2009-10, the same year John Calipari arrived at Kentucky.
He was an assistant coach for a year at Wake Forest, and then landed at BYU. A Mormon himself, Pope was a solid fit at the school and spent four seasons there as an assistant coach. BYU made the NCAA Tournament in three of those four seasons.
In 2015, Pope took the coaching job at Utah Valley University. The tiny school had moved to Division I status in 2003 and had joined the WAC two years before hiring Pope.
Under Pope, Utah Valley's record improved every season from his hiring until 2019, when he returned to BYU after posting a 25-10 mark.
Utah Valley won 23 games the year before, and the team had played in the CBI Tournament in Pope's last three years.
Pope back at BYU
Mark Pope returned to BYU, where he served as coach for five seasons. BYU made the jump from the West Coast Conference to the Big 12 before the 2023-24 season. Pope won 20 games in four of his five seasons, winning 19 in the other.
Mark Pope's best BYU team was arguably his first one, which finished 24-8 and ranked in the top-25. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament, though. Two of Pope's other teams, the 2020-21 squad and the 2023-24 teams, reached the NCAA Tournament.
While Pope has not been decorated with honors as a coach, his teams have been good for numerous impressive victories. The 2020 team bested No. 2 Gonzaga, whike the 2024 squad beat four ranked teams during its Big 12 season. Included in the batch were victories over Kansas and Baylor.
Mark Pope was on the Naismith Coach of the Year watch list in 2024 and has produced teams with impressive offensive stats. His 2020 team finished third in the nation in shooting percentage and first in 3-point percentage.
The 2024 squad was third in the nation in 3-point makes per game and third nationally in assists per game.
Can Mark Pope bring Kentucky back to championship status? Let us hear your take below in our comments section below:
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