Mitch Barnhart provides reason for Kentucky fans to get excited about Mark Pope
When reports surfaced on Thursday evening claiming Kentucky was hiring BYU’s Mark Pope as its next head coach, fans were not sold. When it became official on Friday morning, the Kentucky faithful were on the fence.
By Friday afternoon, Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart looked to make the final sales pitch. During an appearance on Kentucky Sports Radio, Barnhart explained why Kentucky diehards should be ecstatic for Pope to take the reins.
“I’d probably go with two different sides of the coin. One is the personality side and the other is the technical side,” Barnhart said. “When you talk to the people in the basketball community, they talk about the unique offense he runs and the way he forces teams to defend.
“He makes them defend all the way out, 27 by 50. They come all the way out and the way they break it down is they shoot the 3s… Obviously, we had a team that was [averaging] in the upper 80s this year. Sometimes, on the defensive end, we didn’t get as much on the defensive end as we’re used to. I think what Mark does, he brings a little bit of his style as a player when he was here.”
Pope forces opponents to guard his teams the moment they step across half court. This past season, BYU made 11.1 3-pointers per game, the third-most in the country. The team shot 33 more 3-point field goals than 2-point shot attempts over the course of the season.
While Pope’s fast-paced style is no far cry from Kentucky’s offensive scheme in the 2023-24 season, BYU’s defense was far more successful. The Cougars only allowed 69.9 points per game while Kentucky gave up 79.7 points a night.
Pope’s defensive intensity comes from his days at Kentucky. He played under head coach Rick Pitino, who was and still is known for his relentless defensive pressure. Pope intends to return his alma mater to a similar state of defense ferocity.
Mark Pope brings an infectious energy
Of course, technical proficiency isn’t the only talent Pope brings to the table.
“He brings the tenacity, the toughness and the positive energy,” Barnhart said. “You can’t be around Mark Pope very long and you don’t hear the positivity in his voice. He uses words like ‘We’re crushing it. We’re gonna crush that. We’re gonna get after it.’ His positive energy for anybody that comes into contact with him is is contagious.
“I just say he has a lack of fear of the situation. He is ready to take everything on and he knows how big this job is. He knows how important it is to the state… It means a lot to him that.”
Kentucky will host Mark Pope’s introductory press conference at 4:30 p.m. ET inside Rupp Arena. It will be open to the public.