Mark Pope looking for ‘magical touch’ to unlock new skills in Kentucky players

Kentucky earned a victory when it needed it most against South Carolina on Saturday, snapping a two-game skid and improving the Wildcats to 5-5 in SEC play.

The victory comes as Kentucky welcomed most of its depth back after multiple injuries forced head coach Mark Pope to become creative with his offensive scheme. This forced some of his Wildcats out of their comfort zones and into unusual situations in an attempt to help their team.

“I think that great coaches have a magical touch about that. Right? We are a work in progress here,” Pope said of his approach to coaching. “What really makes great coaches is, it’s just like great teachers. It’s great students is probably way more important component of a student-teacher relationship. It’s great students, it’s students that are hungry and passionate and willing and humble and curious that we talk about all the time.

“You also get to points in your journey where you might be more willing and desperate to listen and try a new path, right? That’s why, I mean, I’m going to get really philosophical and that’s why it’s so fun to coach because the game kind of rips you to pieces and it put you in a really vulnerable spot and it makes you humble. And it makes you willing to try new things and desperately search for answers. And those are really fun students to have.”

Pope has spoken to his player’s selflessness and faithfullness at times throughout the season for the betterment of the team. In the face of injuries, Pope has called for certain players to step up in the absence of their teammates.

None had been more evident than 6-foot-11 big man Amari Williams, who Pope turned into the team’s primary ball handler during the three-game absence of starting PG Lamont Butler.

Williams logged double-doubles in all three games — and even managed to log a rare collegiate triple double during the mid-week loss to Ole Miss last Tuesday. He had previously never had more than six assists in a single game this season.

With Butler back, the lineup returned to its somewhat typical flow and led to an 80-57 win over the Gamecocks at home.

Pope noted that for Butler, Kentucky “taped him up and rolled him out there” which may suggest he’s not 100% at the moment. 6-foot-11 big man Andrew Carr, another pivotal piece to Pope’s lineup, is still limited with back issues and is currently coming off the bench.

Getting the Wildcats back to full health is paramount for Kentucky if they want to catch fire during the final stretch of the regular season. However, Pope appears to be proud of his group rolling with the recent punches that the season has thrown their way.