La Familia's Kentucky alumni share impressions of Mark Pope, current Cats after joint practice

Oh, to be a fly on the wall of the Joe Craft Center on Tuesday. La Familia, Kentucky’s alumni team in The Basketball Tournament (TBT), met and practiced against the current Kentucky squad last night, creating a bridge between the John Calipari and Mark Pope eras.

Not many people have seen Mark Pope’s first Kentucky team in action, so when La Familia came on KSR this morning, we had to ask each player for their impressions of the new guys. The verdict: it’s early, but the former Cats are impressed by the energy and experience of Pope’s group. While no one divulged which squad had the upper hand, it sounds like the current Cats held their own against a team of professionals.

“I think they can shoot the ball really well,” Eric Bledsoe said. “They can defend. I think we’re going to see some really bright spots from them. Obviously, they’re going to get better each and every game and there’s a process, so I’m very excited about it.”

“Like Bled said, they shoot a lot of threes,” Brennan Canada, a member of last year’s Kentucky team, said. “Talented players. Got up and down the floor, great on both ends, so I’m excited to see what Pope has in store. It seems like a really good path.”

“It was competitive,” Aaron Harrison said. “It was exciting on both ends. I was excited for our team and the current team. It was exciting. The fans have a lot to be excited about.”

Mark Pope built Kentucky’s roster in a matter of months, and the players have only been on campus for about a month for summer workouts. While this group has size (three players 6’10” or taller), skill, and experience, the former Cats know it’s going to take Pope’s team some time to gel.

“Good size,” Andrew Harrison said. “Definitely have the energy. They have great energy. Just in the building, they have great energy starting with the staff to the players. Everyone wants to learn. No one backed down. They’ve got some work to do but at the same time, they feel like a pretty good team. I’m excited for them and I hope Coach [Pope] does well for sure.”

“Very impressive, what they did,” Daniel Orton, who is now active in the youth basketball community in Lexington, said. “They look good. Solid big bodies. They know what they’re doing. They’re being taught well, executed really well.”

“They’re just — it kinda reminds me of our first year,” Orton added. “It takes time to develop that chemistry. You know, you’ve got a hodgepodge of guys you’re bringing together and it takes time to develop that chemistry. But it takes extra effort outside of practice. Working together, working out together, and you’ll move fast depending on how much you stay together.”

La Familia is just getting to know each other too, having only started practice this week, but Kellan Grady liked how the former Cats fared against the new guys.

“I think we did pretty well. Defensively we were superb, I thought, and it’s a credit to just us taking this seriously. And Kentucky guys, they’ve got some good players, but I think we did pretty well.”

“I think they’re going to be good too,” Nate Sestina said of Pope’s team. “Their energy is off the charts. They’re just fine-tuning some things.”

Come on down to @ksbarandgrille for our live @KSRonX takeover!

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— LaFamilia – Kentucky’s TBT Team (@LaFamiliaTBT) July 17, 2024

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— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) July 17, 2024

Former players on Pope: “His energy is just so contagious”

“Energy” is the defining word for this Kentucky team so far, and that starts at the top. This was most of the former players’ first time meeting Mark Pope, and although they remain loyal to John Calipari, after seeing Pope run a practice, they’re also excited about the new direction in which the program is moving.

“I’m very impressed with how he carried himself,” Bledsoe said. “High energy, passionate. You know, everything you need in a coach.”

“His energy is — I think I asked one of the guys next to me yesterday, I wonder if he always has this much energy because his energy is just so contagious,” Grady said of Pope.

Kerem Kanter, Enes Kanter’s younger brother, played college basketball at Xavier, not Kentucky, but even he was impressed by Pope’s energy in practice.

“I think Coach Pope brings the intensity for sure. I think the guys understand. I think some of them are transfers so we got some older guys on the team as well. So I think they’re gonna be very good.”

Under John Calipari, Kentucky was known for putting players in the pros after just one season. As college basketball has gotten older due to Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal, Aaron Harrison said he’s looking forward to seeing what Mark Pope can do with players who stick around a little longer.

“Experience,” Harrison said when asked what his favorite thing about this Kentucky team is. “That’s a change for our program really, to have little experience. I’m excited to see how that experience translates to the SEC and how it’s changed over the years and how we’ve changed, how the program has changed.”

Above all, Pope has gone out of his way to make sure the players from the Calipari era feel welcome. He made an appearance at last night’s La Familia autograph signing and gave each player his phone number, telling them not to hesitate to reach out.

“He’s been incredible,” Kellan Grady said of Pope. “This is a special place to him so I think he’s just passing along his true authentic self and it’s very well received by all of us.”

La Familia opens TBT play Friday night vs. 305 Ballers at 8 p.m. ET at Rupp Arena. If you can’t be there in person, you can watch live on FS2. Until then, enjoy this footage from yesterday’s practice, including a mic’d-up Nate Sestina.

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