“How tall is that coach? Damn”: College hoops fans react as Kentucky HC Mark Pope poses with AJ Dybantsa, Koa Peat and more for USA U19 team
It's picture day for Team USA U19, and USA basketball shared a team snap on Instagram on Monday.
Team USA U19 is filled with star-studded recruits, including BYU commit AJ Dybantsa and Arizona's Koa Peat. The squad is led by top coaching talent, including Kentucky head coach Mark Pope.
Fans reacted to the team photo in the comments, with one comment pointing out how tall Pope appears in the picture.
"How tall is that coach?😭 Damn"
Some hyped up individual players on the talented roster.
"Good luck Nate and #RollTide 🐘"
"@iammattable🔥🔥"
"Let's work @lcarsonjr 🦍"
Others discussed how good the team is as a whole.
"Nuhh who put this team together👀"
"This team is od"
"Elite group🔥🔥🔥"
Read more: $4.1 million NIL-valued AJ Dybantsa goes off with 11 straight points for the win at Team USA U19 scrimmage
Mark Pope discusses Kentucky vs Louisville rivalry
Mark Pope got real about the new era of the rivalry between Kentucky and Louisville. The Wildcats head coach appeared on Kentucky Sports Radio to discuss how the rivalry has evolved.
Pope took over as head coach at Kentucky last season, and Louisville was also under new leadership in Pat Kelsey. The two coaches made their respect known for one another clear in their inaugural season, a big difference from the fiery rivalry between John Calipari and Rick Pitino during their time running the programs.
Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio playfully asked Pope to bring the rivalry back.
“I hate this Pat Kelsey and all of those Louisville fans! Hate ’em!” Pope joked. “What’s actually super cool is that I got a boatload of respect for Pat Kelsey. I think what he did last year was incredible. And, I mean, two of my [BYU] guys played for him last year.
“I don’t have a ton of interaction with the Louisville fanbase, but I’m sure they’re great. But here’s the thing, the one thing I would say is that I actually think that this Kentucky-Louisville thing is just going to get heated and heated because it’s going to be back to being like [No.] 1 versus [No.] 4 in the country.”
Both teams are expected to be top contenders next year, which brings an exciting new life to the rivalry. However, fans shouldn't expect Pope and Kelsey to have a personal rivalry.