Goose Givens shares expectations entering Mark Pope's debut season at Kentucky

Like Mark Pope, Goose Givens knows what it takes to win a national championship at Kentucky. The former NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player scored 41 points in one to hang the program’s fifth banner back in 1978. Now he gets to watch the captain of the 1996 title team try to hang another one as the program’s next head coach.

And Givens will do it sitting courtside at every game as the official radio color analyst next to Tom Leach.

As hectic as the last few months have been, he’s excited for this next era of Kentucky basketball going into 2024-25. The former All-American loves what John Calipari did for the program, but believes his alma mater is in good hands with Pope.

“It’s been incredibly crazy, no question about it,” Givens told KSR. “I think about that time after Mitch and Cal got together and it seemed like everything had been — I don’t want to say worked out, but everybody was on the same level playing field. I was actually anxious about seeing what was going to happen after that. And then everything went crazy when Cal left, but I think Mitch Barnhart has done a great job.

“I thought the pick was really good and Mark Pope was a good guy to lead at this time. I think we needed a guy who understood the program, a guy who really wanted to be here. That might have been as important as anything — not just for the money, but because of what Kentucky basketball is. I’m really excited about Mark and I think he’s going to do a great job.”

As a radio analyst and legendary player, he’s got an open-door policy with Pope and the Wildcats. That’s allowed him to get a close look at the new team during the eight-week summer practice period.

How have things gone for Kentucky with the first-year coach finding his footing back in Lexington?

“About as well as can be expected. I mean, this would have been a great year to have been able to take a trip somewhere and get the guys away from here, but the guys have been able to play together and figure things out together against other teams,” Givens said. “The one time they did that La Familia they looked really good. They played well, they were impressive against a team of pro players, guys who had been there and done that. They looked really, really good. So I think they’re going to get much better as they learn each other and figure each other out. They have plenty of time to get there.

“They’ll need to do it and they’ll need to do it quickly because this season — the schedule is going to be tough, man. I’m just looking forward to seeing how they continue to improve together.”

Rather than single out individual standouts, Givens has been impressed with the team’s physical readiness to produce in the SEC — loaded with experience from top to bottom. That’s been the biggest difference in the early transition from Coach Cal to Pope. No need to lean on youth early and the hurdles that come with that when you’ve got grown men leading the charge.

“What I saw was a bunch of men as opposed to skinny little high school guys, you know? It was great to see some guys who can come in and understand the game. You won’t have to spend the first two months teaching them fundamentals,” Givens told KSR. “You can use that time now — especially this year, it’s important. You can use that time to grow as a team, learn Mark’s system without having to go through the fundamentals with help, pick-and-roll, all that kind of stuff. I was really excited about that.

“I like the pieces. We’ve got a little bit of everything, guys who have been successful in their own right at other programs. So just bringing all of that together is what I’m anxious to see.”

It was championship or bust under John Calipari, a blessing and a curse at times. When things are rolling, there is no place like Kentucky and the highs that come with being a part of it all. When those lows come, though, things can get toxic.

What should the expectations be entering year one for Pope? Well, it’s complicated. On one end, the talent is there and the wins should pile up. On the other, demanding a title in year one could be setting the new coach up for failure. Finding that middle ground will be important for Big Blue Nation, the former Wildcat says.

“That’s Kentucky basketball and Kentucky fans. Big Blue Nation, they always think we are the team to win it all every year. I don’t know that I would expect that, but I do expect to see a team that continues to get better over the course of the year,” Givens told KSR. “It might be a little slow early because they are trying to learn each other, learn their roles and all of that, but I think we should expect to see a team that’s very competitive, a team that’s somewhere from the middle to the top of the SEC.”

Most importantly, he believes the Wildcats will be finding their groove by year’s end, leading to the postseason success fans haven’t seen enough of in recent years. That will be key.

“If they do that and continue to do well, they will make a showing in the tournaments, and that’s what Kentucky fans want more than anything,” he added. “They want to be competitive, but they also want to try to make a move in March and have some games and enjoy that tournament time of the year that we haven’t been able to enjoy the last few years.

“So expectations should be high. Maybe not as high as they have been, but I still expect to have a team that wins and wins a lot of games.”