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The College of Kentucky has its new males’s basketball coach, officially announcing the hiring of BYU’s Mark Pope on Friday evening to switch John Calipari following the latter’s departure to Arkansas.
Pope was undoubtedly not Kentucky’s first selection, however a number of of the highest coaches within the nation – together with Scott Drew (Baylor), Dan Hurley (Connecticut), Nate Oats (Alabama) and even Billy Donovan of the Chicago Bulls – confirmed zero curiosity within the job. It is usually a slightly uninspiring rent on the floor when you think about the thinness of Pope’s resume.
However that doesn’t essentially imply it’s a dangerous rent. At the very least not but.
Whereas Pope lacks NCAA Event success and main outcomes, he’s going to convey an brisk and thrilling model of basketball to Lexington that includes tempo and an enormous reliance on the three-point recreation. These had been his crew’s calling playing cards at BYU and so they helped earn this system NCAA Event bids in two of the previous 4 seasons, plus a spot within the top-25 in 4 of his 5 years with this system.
The dearth of match success is a giant purple flag nonetheless, particularly going right into a program like Kentucky the place the purpose is not simply showing within the NCAA Event, however really going far and competing for nationwide championships.
Pope has by no means gained a single match recreation as a head coach within the NCAA.
Whereas he’s coming into an surroundings the place that form of resume is just not going to final lengthy, he’s additionally coming into a scenario that ought to give him one thing he hasn’t needed to work with earlier than – a serious program that could be a draw for the most important and finest recruits within the nation. Particularly with NIL cash now in play.
Pope’s system and offense can undoubtedly put factors on the board even with out elite expertise. If he can convey that to Kentucky and get top-tier expertise to suit into it he might need an opportunity to make this work.
At this level although it’s all nonetheless hope and potential. It has to truly work on the ground.
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