The last two or more months have been a reset for Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats. Amid the overwhelming disappointment of last season, with the high expectations that were applied going in, Pope and the Cats program have been able to reset to put themselves in the best position to get this program on the track to where it belongs throughout the offseason.
Coach Pope, while faily criticized at times, has ended up with a high-upside squad. Not only has he assembled a roster that seems to bear Sweet 16 potential (at least) - led by a returning NBA prospect in Malachi Moreno and two of the best faciliators in college basketball, in Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins - but he's also more connected to the fanbase than ever.
Opening himself up to BBN at their angriest on social media? That's Pope pulling back the layers for a transparency makes everything less achey and more certain for a group of blue and white fanatics that, much like their coach, can't sleep on this stuff.
That includes waiting on one of the top transfers in the country to announce his commitment decision. If the Cats can ultimately manage to land Milan Momcilovic in Lexington, the mood is bound to shift drastically.
Although, I'd argue Coach Pope has earned a little grace regardless.
A Measure of Grace Regardless
I'm not at all saying that expectations when it comes to Kentucky Basketball should change or be lowered, nor am I saying Pope has done so already. He played and won a national championship, as a team captain, in the blue and white. If anyone knows the bar, it's him.
What I am saying, though, is that those expectations can impact a coach and a team. It was evident that this burden played a large role in last season never feeling "normal," even when that group hit their midseason stride and tried to make a push.
The result of a ninth-title-centered offseason last year was a team that, from the jump, had been branded as an all-or-nothing affair. The offseason in between years two and three for Pope, I think, needed to be a mild reset. That seems to be the current case.
Pope's Full Deck of Cards
Mark Pope can succeed here, at his best; he's a meticulous, analytical motivator that plainly bleeds blue.
And when he's working with a full, healthy roster, Pope had Kentucky ranked No. 4 in the country. Isn't that where we expect Kentucky to be, at least generally? The last time the Cats were that high on the board, Kerr Kriisa went down against Gonzaga, and the program has been hampered by injuries ever since. I'm not making excuses - that hasn't been Pope's only issue - but it's absolutely something we can't overlook in judging his tenure in Lexington.
If good health is with the Wildcats this season, I like this team's chances to slide into the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, at least. Add Momcilovic, though, and we're suddenly having conversations that match the energy of even the most optimistic Cats fans.
Add Momcilovic, and we may get the chance to see Mark Pope can truly do with a full deck of cards.
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