When Kentucky hired Mark Pope, it was a breath of fresh air. He rejuvenated the fanbase and Rupp Arena. Cal's message and schtick had gotten old, only because the wins had started to dry up. A change was good for Cal and Kentucky.
After the coaching search circus: Danny Hurley said no, Scott Drew's wife said no, Billy Donovan flirted, Mitch Barnhart landed on Pope, the 1996 title-winning captain.
He understood what it meant to wear the jersey. He talked the talk. And last year, he walked the walk. Despite an injury-ravaged roster, he made the Sweet 16, Kentucky's first trip since before COVID. He spoke about mental health, positivity, and winning.
Then he followed it up by building a roster so deep it made other teams blush. Everything was looking up.
And then the Louisville loss happened.
A 'bluntly honest' admission on Kentucky basketball's struggles
Mark Pope spent the entire offseason and exhibition slate working on defense, and yet that defense was torn to shreds by the Cardinals. Since that loss, Pope has been publicly trying to find a fix, but his press conferences have revealed a coach who seems stressed and, for the first time, "surprised" by his team's lack of progress.
He has publicly called out players. He's trying new "teaching methods" like threatening to make starters run ladders. And in his most recent presser, he made a "bluntly honest" admission that implies he's struggling to get his message through.
“I’ll be really bluntly honest with you guys — I wish I was farther ahead right now. I wish that I was further ahead with this group," Pope said. "I’m trying to figure out why I’m not further ahead with this group in terms of just this group’s identity."
He doubled down on this in his post-game radio show:
“I do have this feeling like I’m a little behind with this team, and I’m a little surprised,” Pope added.
This is the kind of quote that sends a red flag up for a fanbase. It's the first crack in the armor of positivity, a confession that his message isn't landing as fast as he thought it would.
This stress was on full display in his passionate rant about Tom Brady and Michael Vick. He told a story about Brady being jealous of Vick, and how "nobody wants to see" Brady try to be a running QB. It was a clear, public message to his players (like Otega Oweh who he told this to in private) to "be who you are." It seems as if a few of the Cats are worried about being who NBA scouts want them to be, and not who Kentucky needs them to be to win.
It was great coaching, but it was also the kind of public psychoanalysis you see from a coach who is trying everything to "reach" his team and fix their "distracted" identity.
Back on October 29th, Pope said, “I know I only get to be the head coach of the University of Kentucky for a while and so I am not leaving anything on the table here.”
Maybe he needs to take his own advice and just be who he is. Because he's right, he won't be in Lexington forever, and the stress of trying to perfect this "identity" is already starting to show. Is the honeymoon officiall over? It seems so.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion