Mark Pope made his first public appearance as the new Kentucky head basketball coach at his introductory press conference on Sunday afternoon and it was to a sold-out Rupp Arena.
That's right. Mark Pope's press conference was in front of a sold out arena. Just three days ago it seemed the Kentucky fan base was extremely disappointed in the hire. After Sunday, they are ready for the season.
Pope addressed just about everything from his time as a player, what it's like playing for Kentucky, his coaching career and how he'll build this program back into a championship team.
"Our guys will know quickly, and it is hard not to know, it will be one of the great honors of their life to put that jersey on," Pope said. "There is only a select few players in the world that ever get to wear a Kentucky jersey, to wear a Kentucky jersey, it is one of the greatest honors guys can ever have as a basketball player."
Pope received a five-year deal at Kentucky and is tasked with taking a program that went to new heights under John Calipari -- to a team that hasn't made it out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament the last three appearances.
Pope, a captain on the 1996 National Championship team at Kentucky, is ready to take on his next challenge -- and he made sure the fans new what that means, walking into Rupp Arena holding the '96 championship trophy in his hands.
Watch the full press conference below.