Mark Pope reveals John Calipari called Kentucky 'the best program in all of college basketball'

Mark Pope wants the best for Kentucky men’s basketball and, evidently, he isn’t the only one. In a conversation with Kentucky Sports Radio’s Matt Jones, Pope said that all former members of the storied program want to see it succeed, including prior head coach John Calipari.

“We have the greatest fanbase in all of college basketball. There is no one at any other fanbase that would argue that. Nobody can argue that,” Pope said. “So that fanbase deserves the best of everything. You go down the list, and we’re trying to be the best at everything, and that’s what Kentucky’s supposed to be.

“I was just with Karl-Anthony Towns yesterday in New York, and that’s what he expects out of this joint… That’s what all our former players, former coaches [expect]. You know what, that’s what Cal expects! Cal is at Arkansas and he’s like, ‘Don’t you ruin my program, man. That’s the best program in all of college basketball.'”

Calipari’s exit from Kentucky was tumultuous to say the least. The legendary head coach spent 15 seasons with the program and brought the Wildcats back to national prominence after they had a downslide in the late 2000s.

Calipari’s success at Kentucky peaked in 2012 when he won the national championship, but the coach remained in Big Blue Nation’s good graces for many years afterward, taking the team to a Final Four in 2015. Alas, starting in the COVID era, some Kentucky fans began to question if Calipari was the best man for the job.

After Kentucky went four seasons with only one win in the NCAA Tournament, countless ‘Cats fans were calling for Calipari’s job in the spring of 2024. Nonetheless, Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart ultimately backed Calipari and announced that he would be returning next season as UK’s head coach.

Just days later, the news broke that Calipari was heading to Arkansas. The unexpected move left Kentucky fans in limbo, wondering whether they should be thankful for all Calipari gave to the program or resent him for leaving UK after publicly stating he was running it back.

In his debut season at Arkansas, Calipari kept it classy when asked about his relationship with Kentucky, always emphasizing that he holds no ill will toward the program. Apparently, Calipari not only isn’t harboring negative feelings for Kentucky, but still fervently wants the program to thrive.

Of course, that feeling doesn’t apply when his Razorbacks square off against Mark Pope and Co. Calipari and Arkansas marched into Rupp Arena last season and silenced Kentucky fans, running away with an 89-79 victory.