"There's nowhere like it": Mark Pope praises Kentucky's unrivaled fanbase while comparing Wildcats to UConn, Duke, etc

The Kentucky Wildcats' head coach Mark Pope shared his amazement at the matchless fanbase of Kentucky Wildcats and added that being part of the Big Blue nation was a distinction. He shared the feeling was ingrained into the teammates and fans as an identity.

Mark Pope replaced John Calipari in April this year after the latter moved to Arkansas Razorbacks. Pope received a hero's welcome as thousands of fans thronged to Rupp Arena last spring. Mark Pope shared how being part of the culture of the Big Blue Nation felt, per Kentucky Today:

“When I walked out of the bus, I was like, 'Of course, this is how it is, this is BBN,’” he recalled. “There's nowhere like it and it's kind of like so much that even when you're in it, you don't actually believe it, you actually forget and it just seems beyond comprehension. This is BBN and it's built into us, Man is part of who we are and it's part of our identity, in a way that is just different than anywhere else.”

Mark Pope served as the captain of the Wildcats in 1996 and led the program to the national championship victory. He also played with the Washington Huskies in college for two seasons.

Pope added that piling championship victories and NCAA tournament appearances was common in all programs. However, the feeling of togetherness set it apart even from the top programs like UConn, USC, and Duke. He compared Kentucky to a beast while talking to Paul Finebaum:

“Kentucky is a unique beast in all of the college basketball landscape. And there is something special about being able to recruit here and being able to find guys where they put on this jersey and it means something different. It rings different.”

Mark was picked in the second round by the Indiana Pacers in the 1996 draft. He also played for the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets in the NBA.

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Mark Pope on how Kentucky is connected to the web of human relationships

Pope has often shared his wonder at the interconnectedness of the Big Blue Nation since he arrived at the program as the head coach. He delved into the details of how central Kentucky was to the members of the BBN, per Kentucky Today:

“They met it at the University of Kentucky and had their wedding at halftime of an NCAA Tournament game. They watch every game in their Kentucky room at the house that's devoted just to Kentucky games or they remember, they're there and they have the memories of their grandpa who's no longer living but used to drive them up on to the hilltop in Eastern Kentucky, so they listen to Cawood Ledford do the game in the cold or whatever it is …"

Pope earlier coached at Utah Valley University and BYU. He led his teams to 13 NCAA tournament appearances, four Final Fours and a national championship in 15 years.