Mark Pope addresses relationship with John Calipari after offseason coaching change

While at SEC Media Days on Tuesday, Kentucky’s Mark Pope was obviously asked again about his relationship with Arkansas’ John Calipari as the two will forever be linked after the biggest coaching change in college basketball this offseason.

Pope answered the question about Calipari while at the podium on Tuesday in Birmingham. Still, while the pair are now in at least a perceived rivalry considering their new connection with one another, Pope once again expressed nothing but respect and gratitude for Calipari considering all that the latter achieved while as the head coach of the Wildcats.

“You’ll never hear me say a negative word about Coach Cal because there’s not a lot to say. He’s a Hall of Fame coach,” said Pope. “As a diehard Kentucky fan and alumnus and former player, I’m grateful for everything, all the incredible things that Cal accomplished at the University of Kentucky.”

Pope continued by sharing his appreciation for Calipari on a personal level.

“He’s also been a good friend,” Pope added. “He’s been a terrific mentor and he’s always been generous to Lee Anne and I as we’ve gone through our coaching journey.”

Calipari left Lexington this offseason after a decade and a half at UK. In that time, Kentucky went 410-123 (.769) with a dozen conference titles and a dozen berths in the NCAA Tournament, including four Final Fours and one national title in 2012. However, following another finish this past season like this others in the 2020s, Calipari decided to change jobs with him becoming the next coach at Arkansas.

That then left the Wildcats’ position vacant and, after a week-long search, they chose Pope, a former player and NCAA champion himself who has already excited the Bluegrass State’s fanbase.

Pope and Calipari will now forever have a link as predecessor and successor at Kentucky. Even so, he looks forward to seeing what he’ll do at the next job in his career – except for one game, of course, in this upcoming season.

“We wish him the best in everything that he does and will forever be grateful for everything that he did at Kentucky,” said Pope. “We’ll be cheering for him every day like crazy except for February 1st.”