Mark Pope reflects on what he learned about himself as Kentucky coach

Mark Pope‘s debut campaign as Kentucky‘s head coach is officially over. However, the lessons he learned this season will stick with him for a long time.

“If the spotlight on you is brighter than the light that comes from within you, then it’ll destroy you,” Pope said. “A roundabout way to answer your question, these guys have an amazing light coming out of each of them. At the end of the day, it’s not about them. I feel the same way. It’s not about us. I think that’s the space where we live.

“When you live that way, of course, we all have doubts every single day. We do. But when it’s about something more important than just ourselves, man, those doubts seem to blur a little bit, and you just spend all your time trying to figure out how we’re supposed to make a difference, how it’s supposed to be, how we’re supposed to serve, how we’re supposed to make an impact. That’s what these guys have done, man.”

Pope never allowed the doubts inside or around him to consume him. He led the Wildcats to a 24-14 overall record and the program’s first Sweet Sixteen appearance since 2019.

Although Kentucky had several stumbles along the way, it had more peaks than valleys. In fact, Kentucky picked up eight Top-15 wins this season, the most by any program in a single season ever.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that Kentucky was facing ranked foes on a weekly basis in the SEC, which many fans consider the best conference of all time. The SEC had a record 14 teams make the NCAA Tournament this season.

Alas, Mark Pope will remember what his players did for him more than what he accomplished. The 52-year-old head coach was hired in early April at Kentucky and put together a competitive roster in just months. None of that would’ve been possible without his players believing in him.

“What they did on the basketball court is incredible, but what they did for each other and this community is bigger and it’s going to last longer and mean more,” Pope said. “I think the doubt gets swallowed up in that, I really do. Of course, we have doubts every single day, but they’re minimal.”

Mark Pope will need to keep that same, positive attitude this offseason. Kentucky will lose seven seniors and be forced to revamp its roster once again. The Wildcats have already added one transfer in former Tulane forward Kam Williams.