"He controlled our entire life": Kentucky HC Mark Pope makes his feelings known on HS basketball legend Richard Belcher

During an afternoon press conference on Thursday, Kentucky coach Mark Pope was asked about how much impact Richard Belcher had on him.

Being a player of Belcher's in his secondary studies days at Newport High, Pope has seemingly taken some coaching inspiration from the HS legend.

"I wish I could be as good as him. Coach Belcher (is) really special. He was our basketball coach but it seemed like he controlled our entire life. ... He built it (his program) that it was such a big construct that kind of occupied every second of your day," Pope reminisced. (4:00)

"He was a basketball coach. He was a hall of fame basketball coach. But, in his heart, he was a teacher," he expressed. "He was a mentor, a father figure, a guru like Yoda. He's really special that way." (4:29)

However, no matter how strict Belcher may have seemed, Pope reasserted that his high school tactician always kept an open mind and had a knack for getting to know his personnel at a deeper level.

"He was an unbelievable listener in terms of getting to know individual players and coaches. He didn't coach players, he coached a player. He coached this player, and he coached that player. He coached every single guy individually in a really special way," Pope explained. (4:50)

Despite being born in Nebraska, Mark Pope played for Newport High in Bellevue, Washington under Belcher before taking his talents to Washington, where he spent his first two collegiate seasons. After serving his residency during the 1993-1994 season, the coach rounded out his college career as a Kentucky Wildcat.

Pope will be reuniting with Belcher and his hometown of Seattle this weekend when the Kentucky Wildcats face the Gonzaga Bulldogs on Saturday at the Climate Pledge Arena. On a 7-1 record this season, they will test their might for an eighth win after losing to Clemson, 70-66, on Tuesday.

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Mark Pope ecstatic to return to Seattle this weekend

Spending most of his playing days in the state of Washington, Mark Pope would bounce around from his high school days in Bellevue to his time as a Washington Huskie in Seattle.

With his history there, Kentucky's main tactician can't wait to be in the midst of the city as he expressed:

"I don't get to go back to Seattle that much so I'm excited to go back. I'll see a bunch of high school teammates I think are coming to the game and get the chance to sit with coach Belcher who I love so much.

"Seattle is a great city, and I have a ton of love for it. So, I'm excited to get back," he added.

With a homecoming on the way for Mark Pope, he and his Wildcats would love to snag a win against Gonzaga playing in front of the Seattle crowd, especially after losing their first game of the campaign to Clemson.