PHOTO: Kentucky HC Mark Pope poses with Wildcat alum Derek Willis in his latest offseason outing to Turkey

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope and his staff have been actively scouting young talents and during their recruiting efforts, they visited Turkey this week. During his trip, Pope met with former Kentucky forward Derek Willis.

Shannon Grigsby, a Kentucky Sports Radio announcer, shared the picture of Pope and Willis hanging out on a court before a FIBA U17 World Cup game.

"Two of these guys played for Kentucky and for Anadolu Efes," Grigsby wrote in the photo.

Kentucky's new head coach, Mark Pope, has a deep-rooted connection with Turkey since he began his professional career there with one of the Turkish clubs, Anadolu Efes. Meanwhile, Derek Willis, who played at Kentucky from 2013 to 2017, is currently a player for Anadolu Efes, joining the team in 2023.

The 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup features wonder kids like AJ Dybantsa, Chris Cenac, Cayden and Cameron Boozer. Coach Pope aims to recruit several of these players to further strengthen his team presence in Lexington.

For the upcoming season, the Wildcats have already landed two players from the 2024 class: Travis Perry and Trent Noah. Moreover, Brandon Garrison, a 6-foot-10 center, has joined Kentucky from Oklahoma State; Jaxson Robinson, a 6-foot-5 forward, signed with Kentucky from BYU; and Otega Oweh, a 6-foot-4 guard, joined Kentucky from Oklahoma.

Mark Pope looks forward to a game against Arkansas in 2024 season

Mark Pope revealed that he is most excited about the Kentucky vs. Arkansas game at Rupp Arena in the upcoming season. John Calipari, who won the national championship with the Wildcats, left the team this offseason and joined the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Mark Pope, who took over from Calipari, believes that Coach Calipari's return to Rupp Arena will be special.

"We’re in the same league and we get to go head-to-head here at Rupp this year. And it’s going to be fiery,” Pope told Fox Sports. “There will be fireworks because that’s how Cal is, that’s why he’s so good and that’s certainly how we’re going to represent the University of Kentucky."

Before joining the Wildcats, Pope served as head coach of the BYU Cougars for five seasons, leading them to the NCAA tournament on two occasions. He has an overall record of 110-52 — a .679 winning percentage. In the previous season, BYU finished tied for fifth place in the Big 12 regular season and played in the first round of the NCAA tournament, where they lost to Duquesne.