Mark Pope is one of a kind in many ways, but perhaps more than anything else, the head coach's open approach to his position is unlike anything we've seen in college basketball. Pope is giving away free tickets on social media, answering aggressive questions from angry fans, and dropping "eye in the sky" practice footage at noon on a Friday. The latter is what had fans most excited today.
Pope posted the clips on X, feeding into the fan-fueled, "M&M's" nickname for Milan Momcilovic and Malachi Moreno with videos of each of them making plays. Seriously, if we don't find a way to get that sponsor going, what are we doing?
That's besides the point. Any Cats fans that watched this footage certainly didn't miss the absolute barrage of triples from Momcilovic therein. Everyone loves a Moreno slam, and we got a couple of those too, but No. 22 is just spotting up from everywhere.
Solid practice this AM. How bout some M&M’s for lunch BBN?! pic.twitter.com/wVLiKONPdv
— Mark Pope (@CoachMarkPope) July 17, 2026
Off the catch in the corner, off-balance at the top of the key, from way, way, way out by the logo; I counted six triples (and a block, extra shoutout) in these 24 seconds alone. I know it's compiled that way, but Momcilovic looks more than comfortable in his new environment.
If this is how things can be expected to play out in Pope's system come fall, the Big Blue Nation may be ready to hang a banner in the middle of summer.
Momcilovic Looks Perfect for Pope's System
To be fair, it wasn't hard to see this coming. Momcilovic shot nearly 50% from downtown last season with Iowa State - the long ball is the bulk of his game, and it's what popularized Pope's offense at BYU before he ever came to Kentucky.
It was a match made in basketball heaven from the get-go, but to see Momcilovic tearing it up in the blue and white is a far cry vision from just a few months ago, when Cats fans were making edits and crossing fingers for his commitment online.
In my opinion, this Coach Pope team has the best shot of any yet at a real tournament run due to Momcilovic's addition. That isn't just because he's a five-star transfer, but because no player in all of college basketball if more suited to the way that Pope likes to play.
I know that the ever-elusive No. 9 has become a bit of a painful calling card for Kentucky Basketball, but it's an achievement that, as hard as it's constantly being chased, should eventually find its way home.
All I'm saying, BBN, is that I won't blame you if you start making plans to celebrate now if we get a few more Momicilovic highlight tapes like these. Passionate? Probably, but I'll gladly carry that burden if it means somebody has faith in a fully-realized Mark Pope vision.
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