"He was sheer terror...He put fear in our hearts": When Mark Pope narrated hilarious Rick Pitino story from his Kentucky days

Mark Pope played at Kentucky for two years under Rick Pitino from 1994 to 1996. He won the national championship in his final year with the Wildcats and has often shared some of his experiences from working under the legendary coach.

In April 2024, on the "The Field of 68: After Dark" podcast, Pope shared a hilarious incident from when Pitino blasted his players for being complacent in a game.

Pope first recalled Pitino being calm and cool before the Wildcats won the national championship, but that was just a one-off in comparison to how the coach normally behaved.

"We're playing Athletes In Action in a preseason game," Pope said. (Timestamp: 2:15). "This is what we lived under with Coach P. It's, like, 28-4 in the first eight minutes, and then they go on a 4-0 run to make it 28-8. Coach calls a timeout. We come over to the bench. He is losing his mind. He's so angry, and the last thing he says is like, 'You' and then a bunch of words, 'guys are gonna pay for this tomorrow.'

"Now, just so you know how that felt, we get of the huddle and Walter McCarty, the big towering 6-9 usuper talent, super athletic guy, turns white as a ghost. He looks at me, almost with tears in his eyes, and he's like, 'We have to fix this.' It was sheer terror ... He put fear in our hearts every day."

Pitino coached at Kentucky from 1989 to 1997. He compiled a 219-50 record, leading the Wildcats to two back-to-back national championship games in 1996 and 1997, winning in 1997.

Meanwhile, Mark Pope spent nearly a decade playing professionally in the NBA and abroad. He had stints with the Indiana Packers, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets.

Rick Pitino praises Mark Pope for strong first-year run as Kentucky HC

Kentucky Wildcats HC Mark Pope - Source: Imagn

Mark Pope was hired as Kentucky's coach in 2024 and led the team to the Sweet 16 in his first year at the helm. His work with the program drew praise from Rick Pitino.

“I always follow the guys I coached, and I followed them religiously this year, rooting for them all the time,” Pitino said on Friday. “Mark did a fabulous job this year playing a very difficult schedule.

"I loved the way his guys play. I loved the offenses he runs. I loved the way they moved the ball, they shared the basketball. I knew he’d be a great coach. There was no doubt in my mind."

Pitino, meanwhile, led St. John's to the Big East regular-season title and the conference tournament title in his second year with the program. His Red Storm were eliminated by Arkansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.