Gregg Popovich is arguably one of the most influential basketball coaches of all time. He has changed the games in countless ways, and his coaching philosophies have inspired an entire new generation of basketball coaches. That includes Kentucky head coach Mark Pope, who has adopted a Popovich mantra for his team practices and games.
He calls it the "Pop Rule," and the concept is that players should think about their next move before the ball even hits their hands on a pass. The goal is to be moving the ball fast. Not slowing down or letting your mind live with indecision, that his players have a plan in place. This is an asset to his style of offense.
Before he explained this "Pop Rule" to the media this week in his press conference. Though last week, he described why Gonzaga's point guard Ryan Nembhard is either the best or one of the best point guards in the nation (in Pope's mind). He says it's because Nembhard is "playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers." According to Pope, Nembhard's elite point guard skills allow him to move defenders with his eyes and his own guys with anticipation. That he can sense where the ball needs to go before he even has the ball, he described Nembhard as a player that is two or three steps ahead.
This is the essence of the "Pop Rule," and he wants Kentucky basketball to have a team of players with that sort of basketball IQ and that immediate play-making ability. He mentions that his players will continue to get more and more comfortable doing this as the season goes along. One of the things he noticed early on in the Wildcats is that his players are still thinking a lot and are not simply reacting and anticipating. They are still checking all the boxes in their head before they initiate, and he said that will only improve as they become more and more comfortable in his system.