LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The University of Kentucky has found its next men's basketball coach.
UK officially announced Friday morning it has hired Mark Pope, a former player for the Wildcats. He has spent the previous five seasons as the head coach at BYU.
Multiple reports published late Thursday night indicated a deal was imminent.
“Mark Pope not only brings an impressive record in nine years as a head coach, but also a love of the University of Kentucky and a complete understanding of what our program means to the people of our state,” athletic director Mitch Barnhart said. “As a captain on the ‘96 championship team, Mark was a beloved and respected teammate. As a head coach, he is highly regarded nationally as an innovator. His teams run a unique and dynamic up-tempo offense and they get after it on defense. He is a strong recruiter with international ties and a person of integrity.
“He fully embraces our high expectations and standards and I know that as our fans get reacquainted with Mark, they will be eager to join him on what promises to be an exciting ride.”
UK will hold an introductory news conference Sunday at 4:30 p.m. You can watch live on WHAS11, WHAS11.com, WHAS11+ and the WHAS11 YouTube channel.
Pope was a team captain on the 1996 national championship team. According to ESPN, Pope signed a five-year deal worth $5.5 million annually.
“The University of Kentucky is the pinnacle of coaching in college basketball. It’s the definition of blueblood program where hanging a banner is the expectation ever year,” Pope said. “Equally as important, UK changed my life forever as a human being. The love and passion I have for this program, this University and the people of the Commonwealth goes to the depth of my soul."
So who is Mark Pope?
A former Kentucky basketball player, he played under Rick Pitino from 1994-96 and was a member of their 96' title team.
He's been the head coach at BYU since 2019, but before that, he was the head coach at Utah Valley. He also previously served as an assistant coach for Georgia, Wake Forest and BYU.
In his nine years as a head coach, Pope has a record of 187-108.
Since being with the Cougars he's taken two teams to the NCAA Tournament in 2021 and 2024, however, he's yet to win an NCAA Tournament game.
In 2017, Pope brought his Utah Valley team into Rupp Arena to face Kentucky, and the Wildcats won that game by 10.
His hiring comes after names like UConn's Dan Hurley and Baylor's Scott Drew reportedly turned down the job.
Billy Donovan of the Chicago Bulls was thought to be the next candidate on the list, but Matt Norlander of CBS Sports reported Kentucky did not aggressively pursue Donovan.
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