“It had to be somebody that had very low intelligence”: Kentucky HC Mark Pope wants someone with ‘little charisma’ to play his character
New Kentucky coach Mark Pope was posed a fascinating question on "College Hoops Today with Jon Rothstein" on Monday, and his answer was full of humor and self-deprecation. When the host asked who would play Pope if his life was a movie, his reply reflected his funny side, making Rothstein laugh.
"I don't know, it has to be somebody that had very low intelligence and very little charisma. But otherwise, you can take anybody you wanted," Pope said.
The podcast carried on with the question regarding how his life has been since becoming UK's new coach a month ago. Mark Pope called leading the powerhouse program, which is his alma mater, "basketball heaven" despite the job being exhausting and demanding.
Starting his head coaching career with Utah Valley, he led the program to three consecutive postseason appearances, improving the program from 12 wins in 2015-16, his first season, to 25 wins by the end of the 2018-19 season.
Pope then replaced Dave Rose at BYU in 2019. He became the only coach to record 24 wins in his first year with the program. He led BYU into the Big 12 last season, going 22-9.
Last month, he replaced John Calipari, who left for Arkansas, at Kentucky.
Mark Pope talked about the Kentucky roster
Mark Pope has been busy adding transfers since landing the Kentucky job, adding some valuable players for the 2024-25 campaign.
"It was terrifying, but it actually turned out to be a real blessing that we got to start from scratch here," Pope said on the podcast. "We go to handpick guys that fit perfectly into the way that we play. I feel great about our roster right now.
"We have a couple of really, really important pieces that we still have to fit in. We're at 10 scholarships right now. I have two really, really important pieces that I have to add."
Mark Pope has added seven transfers, securing talented players like guard Kerr Kriisa (West Virginia and Arizona). He also landed two four-star high school prospects in the 2024 class: guards Trent Noah and Travis Perry.