It was also going to be tough for the Kentucky Wildcats to replace John Calipari, but their fix, Mark Pope, is not raising any hopes after two years as head coach of the program. A Sweet 16 run last season was followed by a Round of 32 exit this season for Pope.
Entering his third year with the program next season, Pope will have to bear the load of the massive expectations that come along with being the coach of a blue-blood program.
On Tuesday, college basketball analyst Gary Parrish spoke about the grim future Pope awaits if he doesn’t deliver next season for Kentucky.
“Kentucky obviously had a really good first season under Mark Pope, not a great second season,” Parrish said. “They were plagued by injuries at the two most important positions on the floor, point guard and center. But we have seen already that there has been a mass exodus in Lexington. Kentucky’s roster is going to look a lot different next year, and Gary, I really think that Kentucky is going to have fewer players of significance and obviously not the deep rotation and roster it put together this year.
“The good news is that Mark Pope has made two straight NCAA tournaments and won games in both, but at Kentucky the standard is the standard and that’s not good enough. He will enter year three with high expectations, and if it’s not great, good luck getting a year four.”
Mark Pope’s Honest Reflection on Second Season with Kentucky
Mark Pope managed to take his team to the NCAA Tournament and even registered a win in the first round of March Madness. But Iowa State eliminated them in the second round.
“We didn’t complete our goal. We didn’t accomplish everything we wanted to accomplish,” Pope said on CBS documentary Kentucky Basketball Confidential. “But this was a beautiful season of growth, and growth is hard and painful and messy and tough. It’s the building blocks of greatness.
“We fail over and over again so that we can become successful, and that’s what this season was.”
The season was tough for Pope as he is still trying to establish a team in rebuilding mode after a mass exodus, following John Calipari’s exit to Arkansas.
Read More News:
Dawn Staley’s $6M Worth Superfan Sends Heartfelt Message After Blowout Loss To UCLA
Will Geno Auriemma Retire After Loss vs South Carolina? UConn HC Makes Baffling Comment
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in baseball, tennis, college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
