“I’ve never seen anything like that in the history of sports”: Kentucky HC Mark Pope addresses press conference attended by 15,500 fans

Kentucky coach Mark Pope has expressed appreciation to the fans who attended his introductory press conference and was amazed at how they bonded together to welcome him with open arms.

Pope recalled the event that was attended by 15,500 Kentucky Wildcats fans on the Paul Finebaum Show that was aired on YouTube. He was stunned by the rapturous welcome they had given him.

"I've never seen anything like that in the history of sports anywhere in the world. That really had very little to do with me. That was BBN (Big Blue Nation). That was the Kentucky faithful getting together and telling the world just how important and relevant and massive this program is," Pope told host Paul Finebaum [5:50-6:16].

The former Wildcats captain stressed that the event was proof of how school fanbases are appreciative of the new developments that take place on their team.

"It was all of BBN getting together and saying this is our team in a way that doesn't exist at any other college program and it was brilliant. The opportunity to do that with my teammates and every single one of the fans in there and the 100,000 fans that were watching live was incredibly special [6:17-6:36]," he added.

The former Wildcats captain stressed that the event was proof of how school fanbases are appreciative of the new developments that take place on their team.

Pope believes the event was special for the fans as the team represented the state of Kentucky and the BBNs, who wanted the team to win.

Pope's introductory press conference was well attended and university officials had to turn away about 5,000 fans who came to the Rupp Arena to witness the former Kentucky captain speak.

University officials sealed off about 1,000 seats for the event as it was not a basketball game. However, fans drove in to see the new Kentucky coach. Despite Rupp Arena's capacity of 20,500, they had to decline the entry of some 5,000 fans as the gym was so packed, On3.com reported citing Kentucky Sports Radio.

The event was slightly delayed to give time for fans to find their seats.

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Mark Pope recalls Final Four meeting with John Calipari and Tubby Smith

New Kentucky coach Mark Pope with UK Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart.

Pope, who coached Utah Valley and BYU for a combined nine seasons before heading to Kentucky this month, recalled his meeting with former Kentucky coaches John Calipari and Tubby Smith. He shared with Finebaum that he walked up to them and took a photo of them together.

Pope had a conversation with Smith and Calipari, the last two coaches who led Kentucky to national titles in 1998 and 2012, respectively. He told them that he appreciated how challenging the job was.

"That moment will be really special to me because the tradition at Kentucky. It's tying the generations together. I think it's one of the things that sets us apart. Every single coach from Cal to Tubby to Coach P (Rick Pitino) to Joe B. (Joe B. Hall) and every single player from all those generations and before is really the strength of this program," he said.

The next few months will be challenging for Pope as they prepare for the 2024-25 season. The Wildcats seek to bounce back from the first-round setback at the hands of Oakland in the NCAA Tournament and with Pope calling the shots, fans expect something big to happen next season.

Will Mark Pope help Kentucky bounce back from its early ouster in the 2024 NCAA Tournament? Let's know in the comments section below.