“No Mark Pope is insane”: College hoops fans react to Naismith Midseason Coach of the Year List ft. Penny Hardaway, Rick Pitino, Jon Scheyer & more
Former Kentucky Wildcats player and current first-year head coach Mark Pope was snubbed from the Naismith Midseason Coach of the Year Watch List. Coaches from notable programs like the Blue Devils, Boilermakers, Badgers and more have been included in the list released by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Friday.
15 coaches spread through eight conferences. The Big Ten tops the chart with four recognitions while the SEC follows with three. Here's a complete list of the coaches:
- Jon Scheyer - Duke
- Rick Pitino - St. John's
- Matt Painter - Purdue
- Bruce Pearl - Auburn
- Dennis Gates - Missouri
- Penny Hardaway - Memphis
- Tom Izzo - Michigan State
- Pat Kelsey - Louisville
- Dusty May - Michigan
- Grant McCasland - Texas Tech
- Ben McCollum - Drake
- Richard Pitino - New Mexico
- Kelvin Sampson - Houston
- Todd Golden - Florida
- Greg Gard - Wisconsin
Fans reacted to the Coach of the Year watchlist by highlighting Mark Pope's absence:
"No Mark Pope is insane #BBN," a fan wrote.
"No Mark Pope? Not even a consideration!!??? What are we doing here. I don’t have a problem with any of these coaches being on here for this award, but to leave Pope off the list is criminal," another fan commented.
"I used to think media hated us because of cal. Now it’s clear they just hate us 😂 fine by me," another fan wrote.
More fans joined in:
"Mark Pope snubbed," a fan commented.
"Just a reminder Mark Pope is currently ninth in his conference," another fan wrote.
"Luckily, our coach cares more about his guys and his school than himself. The disrespect is comical.," another fan commented.
Mark Pope has defeated three coaches on the top 15 list
Mark Pope Kentucky has only faced Florida, Louisville and Duke from the coaches on the Naismith Midseason Coach of the Year Watch List, emerging victorious in every contest. Each win showcased Pope's masterful adjustments as the Wildcats won each game with a single-digit point differential.
Pope gripped the program in 2024 summer after John Calipari accepted a role with the Arkansas Razorbacks. At the time, four UK players followed Cal to his new program, leaving no returning scholarship players in Lexington. With that, Big Blue Nation's 1996 team captain had to heavily pursue talents in the transfer portal to craft his first roster.