Mark Pope describes what first game at Kentucky meant to him

Mark Pope was just as pleased as he was surprised at Kentucky‘s 123-52 exhibition win over Kentucky Wesleyan on Wednesday.

While his team coasted to victory in dominating fashion, this was Pope’s first time back inside Rupp Arena in a game capacity since he was the head coach at Utah Valley. Before that, you’d have to go back to 1996 to find Pope back on the court in Lexington.

Obviously in a different capacity, the new Kentucky coach is pleased that he was able to make a strong first impression as leader of the Big Blue Nation but doesn’t want the spotlight taken away from his team’s impressive performance.

“I think this is special for all of us,” Pope said in his postgame press conference. “This is really never going to be about me. I’m the most blessed person in the world that I get to be back here as part of BBN and I’m blessed I get to coach this group of guys. We still have so much growing to do.

“The fact we get to be in this building with these great fans and wearing this incredibly tradition filled flagship jersey is just super humbling. I think all of those things are really meaningful to me. It’s incredibly important.”

The Wildcats shot 50% (21-42) from beyond the arc during the contest while shooting a strong 63.2% (48-76) from the floor. Kentucky totaled 32 assists during the contest while eight players scored in double figures for Pope’s squad.

Led by Jaxson Robinson‘s 19 points, all five players in the starting lineup scored in double figures against Kentucky Wesleyan. Notably, three-star true freshman Trent Noah scored 12 points on 4 of 5 shooting from 3-point range. The Harlan County native, previously committed to South Carolina, only played nine minutes during the game.

Kentucky will be back in action on Tuesday for its final exhibition inside Rupp Arena before tipping off the regular season on Nov. 4 against Wright State.