It looks like the Kentucky Wildcats have already identified the perfect John Calipari replacement.
ESPN reporter Pete Thamel claims that the program is “targeting” BYU head coach Mark Pope to be the team’s next head coach. Although the transfer is not yet official, it is said that a deal is “expected to come together” shortly.
Pope was a member of the Wildcats for two seasons, from 1994 to 1996. In 69 games (14 starts), the 6-foot-10 center averaged 7.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game for Kentucky. After two seasons at Washington, he had transferred as a junior.
Pope played for the highly skilled Kentucky squad of 1995–96, which went on to win the 1996 national title.
Pope started his collegiate coaching career in 2009 as an assistant coach at Georgia. Pope subsequently joined BYU as an assistant between 2011 and 2015.
Utah Valley hired the former Kentucky player as head coach for the first time. Over the course of his four seasons leading the Wolverines, Pope’s record progressively got better. After finishing 12–18 in the 2015–16 season, Utah Valley improved to 25–10 in just three years.
In 2019, Pope rejoined BYU to take Dave Rose’s place as head coach. Pope has guided BYU to two NCAA Tournament berths and a 110-52 record in his five seasons as head coach.