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Mark Pope takes off shoes during press conference, shares backstory

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•about 17 hours•

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Mark Pope holding Devin Booker's signature shoe, the Book 1 - Dylan Ballard, A Sea Of Blue
Mark Pope holding Devin Booker's signature shoe, the Book 1 - Dylan Ballard, A Sea Of Blue

Right before Kentucky got its 2024-2025 season underway, newly hired head coach Mark Pope wore a special pair of shoes to a charity exhibition. He showed them off during a press conference, explaining some of the meaning behind them.

Not only does it showcase Pope’s past with the program, going back to his playing days. But it’s also about the future and what is about to get started at Kentucky. An added bonus of a logo Big Blue Nation loves to wrap everything together.

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“Well, these are special shoes for a lot of reasons,” Pope said. “They are a special edition from Nike, they’re the Book 1’s. They got the 34-2 from 1996 with the old classic, beloved UK logo on them. Inside also. And then also, they’re Book 1, Chapter 1, which I think is super cool and appropriate for us, trying to start this season, the first one.

The shoes are designed by Devin Booker, one of the program’s all-time great players. Booker recently announced his first shoe with Nike and sent a pair over to Pope. It’s just another perk of having the job and sharing the special background of making them customizable to Pope and Kentucky.

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Pope never had the opportunity to coach Booker but knows the value he brought to the program during his lone season in Lexington. Nothing but nice things came from the Kentucky head coach regarding the now Phoenix Suns superstar.

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“Most importantly, you think about Devin Booker. Here’s a guy that is everything that Kentucky is. He came here as a great talent, an unbelievable player. Had an unbelievable season here. Never started a single game but was a massive difference maker and has gone on to be a guy that’s going to be the MVP at some point down here down the stretch.”