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CBS releases Mark Pope feature about what Kentucky means to him ahead of NCAA Tournament

On3 imageby:Sam Gillenwater•03/21/25•

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Kentucky HC Mark Pope
Jeff Hanisch | Imagn Images

Mark Pope has been a huge success in his first year as head coach of his alma mater at Kentucky. However, that debut is coming to an end now with almost the only thing that matters to their program – the postseason and, specifically, the NCAA Tournament.

Ahead of his first game in March Madness with the Wildcats, CBS released a feature clip, as part of their confidential series, focusing on Pope. The spotlight on it is how his hire has led to this moment for them starting tonight in Milwaukee.

“I love the University of Kentucky because it’s personal. It’s not an adopted home. It’s my home,” Pope said of his alma mater. “My experience here changed my DNA as a human being. Forever, I will walk into the room different than I did before I came here and that’s a gift…This is my place. This is where I grew up and became something.”

“When it became a reality that I was going to be the head coach, my first thought was this cannot be real,” said Pope of his hire almost a year ago now. “I don’t say that with disbelief that I would be capable of doing this job. I say that in the sense of nobody actually gets this opportunity.”

Kentucky is 22-11 overall in their first season under Pope in ’24-’25. It has had a few more highs than lows to this point with their team setting the school and tying the all-time record for top-fifteen wins while also taking some disappointing losses, albeit in a historic edition of the conference, including the loss they’re coming off of in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. Still, considering all things on and off the court, Pope has been a major success so far in Lexington.

Big Blue Nation aren’t the only ones who Pope has had an effect on. He has impacted his first team there, which is all-new being made up of transfers and freshmen, the same way

“Seeing how much he has embraced being the head coach of Kentucky? I know how special it is to him,” Koby Brea said. “He doesn’t fail to show that every single day, you know. He comes in with a beautiful smile, super energetic, and he just shows how happy he is to be here.”

“As a coach, he wants us to feel the same joy that he had when he was here,” said Lamont Butler.

Those weren’t the only others in the two and a half minute-long clip. It also shared thoughts from Cameron Mills, one of his former teammates still working in media there, and Mark Fox, an associate coach on his staff.

You have coaches that you’re willing to run through brick walls for as a player. Then, occasionally, you have these coaches who will run through the brick wall for you. That’s who Mark is,” said Mills. “He is genius. You don’t get into Columbia Medical School, number one, unless you’re smart. And then just the confidence to say, eh, three years in, I want to coach basketball…Why would you be a year away from graduating Columbia Medical and decide, now I want to start from the ground level of coaching? And his response was, I think I can make a bigger difference in people’s lives.”

“He does operate in a way much like someone would in the medical field – let’s diagnose the issues, let’s look at all the possible solutions,” Fox said.

Now, Pope will try to be the sixth coach to try to win a national title at Kentucky. It may not be likely this season but, as he put it, it’s what is expected of the Wildcats once they take the floor in the NCAA Tournament.

“One thing I know about life is there’s nothing that is permanent in our lifetime. We just have these windows of time that are gonna open and they’re gonna close,” said Pope. “You have to seize every moment.”

“At our best, we can hang a banner. We’re not gonna be a favorite. We might not even be a favorite to win a first round. But nothing less is acceptable here at the University of Kentucky and we embrace that fully and that’s what we’re chasing,” Pope said.