Mark Pope on passion from Kentucky fans: 'We all need each other'

Kentucky fans aren’t the only ones giddy for the Mark Pope Era. On Tuesday, the first-year Kentucky head coach revealed his perspective on the current excitement surrounding the program.

“I am a fan. “I am BBN — well, that may sound wrong. When I said that, I was like, ‘Man, that sounds super arrogant.’ What I mean is that I’m the same as the person that I just signed their hat. I love this place, I love cheering for Kentucky,” Pope said at Club Blue’s NEW ERA event on Saturday.

“That’s the way I feel, living and dying by every guy we sign and person we recruit, every play that we make and practice we have in the same way that every other member of BBN is.”

Since accepting the offer to become Kentucky’s next head coach, Pope has declared his love for the program time and time again. It is not a new love but, instead, one that Pope has carried with him for over a quarter of a century.

After starting his playing career at Washington, Pope transferred to Kentucky and was a team captain on Kentucky’s 1996 national championship team. While Pope moved on from the program, he never lost his love for Lexington, Kentucky.

In his introductory press conference at Kentucky, Pope put this love for the program front and center. He rode into Rupp Arena on a bus filled with UK legends. He showed off his jersey from his playing days. Most importantly, he pulled on the heart strings of the Big Blue Nation.

After all, he is a member of the massive fandom.

“We’re all in this together, we all love this place, we’re all trying to compete together and we all need each other,” Pope said. “That’s why Kentucky is different than everywhere else in sports.

“There’s some places in professional sports that might approximate what Kentucky basketball is, but there’s there’s nobody that actually compares to it at the college level. Just being a part of that is really special.”

Pope is hopeful he can begin his tenure at Kentucky with a special season, as well. He’s certainly put in the work necessary. Since Kentucky hired Pope in April, he has added nine players in the transfer portal while flipping two commitments from high school recruits.

Mark Pope knows the expectation at Kentucky is a national title and he wouldn’t want it any other way.

“It’s daunting and it’s humbling because you understand how hard it is. I’m not naive to understanding,” Pope said. “It is nearly impossible, but this is the one program in all of college basketball where nothing less is acceptable. I want it. I want that challenge. Call me crazy, but I want it.”