Pat Kelsey calls it 'impossible' to hate Mark Pope, despite rivalry

Cardinals aren’t supposed to like ‘Cats in the Bluegrass. However, Pat Kelsey and Kentucky head coach Mark Pope appear to be breaking that unwritten rule before they ever coach a game.

The new Louisville head coach recently spoke on the kindness that Pope showed him during their latest meeting. Fans on both sides might not like what Kelsey has to say — but it appears the two can put their loyalties aside and have a chat while bumping into each other on the recruiting trail.

“I want to not like Mark, but it’s hard not to because he’s a really good dude,” Kelsey told Andy Katz. “He came up to me and introduced himself. We started talking and I walked away like — Louisville fans might not want me to say this, so I apologize — ‘That’s a really good dude.'”

Kelsey, who grew up in Cincinnati, compared the relationship to Skip Prosser and Bob Huggins during their time at Xavier and Cincinnati, respectively.

“I think there’s a possibility to have honor among thieves,” he said. “Maybe off the floor, we can like each other, and then try to tear each other’s face off when we square up head-to-head?”

Of course, both teams’ previous coaches, John Calipari and Kenny Payne, are longtime coaching partners and friends. Payne now works under Calipari at Arkansas after two failed seasons at his alma mater.

That respect now carries over to the Pope and Kelsey eras, as Pope reiterated how fond he is of the new head coach of Kentucky’s bitter rival.

“I love Pat, man. I actually love him,” Pope said in a separate interview with WHAS11’s Kent Spencer. “He’s a hard-driving, on-it-24/7 guy. I love him, actually, and I’ve got a ton of respect for him. That’s the beauty of this Kentucky-Louisville deal, and he’s got a couple of players that I love dearly,” Pope said. “These are two guys I got to witness go sacrifice and grow and commit in a brilliant way. I love all of those dynamics because that is what Kentucky-Louisville is supposed to be.”

Pope is referring to forwards Aly Khalifa and Noah Waterman, who played under Pope at BYU. He recruited both to Kentucky but ultimately chose to play for Kelsey down the road at Louisville.

Heading into the new year, both Louisville and Kentucky have rosters that both fanbases are excited about. The two head coaches have seemingly lit a new fire under their respective programs, which makes this season’s rivalry matchup all the more interesting.