Kentucky's seniors proud to "set the culture" for the Mark Pope era

Kentucky’s press conference after the loss to Tennessee was all but over, with the moderator giving a final call for questions and no hands raised. Instead of embracing the opportunity to head to the locker room, Lamont Butler leaned into the microphone and asked if he could address the room.

“Can I say something? I think it’s really cool that we were able to set the culture for Pope’s first year. And people have to come in and the bar is going to be set high for the next people who come under Pope. It’s gonna be fun to watch, for sure.”

Andrew Carr, who came to Kentucky after stints at Wake Forest and Delaware, doubled down on that, smiling and cutting a transfer portal promo for Mark Pope’s second season.

“If you’re in the transfer portal and looking for a place to go, go to Kentucky,” Carr said. “I’ll tell you that much. Go to Kentucky.”

Kentucky only led for 32 seconds Friday night. The outcome seemed pretty much set from the start; however, Butler and Carr tried to drag the Cats back into the fight in the second half, combining for 21 of Kentucky’s 37 second-half points. Butler led Kentucky with 18 points, including 4-5 from the three-point line, leaving it all on the floor in his final game as a college player. Carr did the same, overcoming a scary fall when he tripped on the carpet in the tunnel heading into Kentucky’s locker room. Thankfully, Carr was fine, throwing down three dunks in hopes of sparking a comeback. Afterward, he said he loved his time as a Wildcat so much he didn’t want to untie his shoes or take off his jersey.

“For us to be able to come in here in Coach Pope’s first year and be able to do that has been nothing short of amazing, and I’m super excited to see for the next 10, 15 years what kind of dominant run Coach Pope can start.”

Butler has experienced almost the highest of the highs in college basketball, hitting a game-winner to send San Diego State to the national championship game in 2023. Tonight, he and Mark Pope consoled each other leaving the court, a powerful moment that went viral.

“I would say it’s incredible, man. We came in, nobody not knowing each other, really no coaching staff, and we built something that was really great, really inspiring for other people. To even play at Kentucky is a dream come true for myself and a lot of guys up here. We’re grateful for him to bring us here and to bring us something that we may not have experienced before this year and really, just really grateful, honestly.”

Pope assembled his first Kentucky roster in a matter of weeks. He’ll have more time and more resources to build his second, a process that is already underway; however, he wouldn’t trade this first group for the world.

“It’s just being relentless about it, just what these guys did to set an incredible foundation, giving us a great beginning. They set a really high standard. They set a high standard on the court, and a higher standard in the locker room and off the floor. They set an incredibly high standard representing the University of Kentucky, representing BBN, and representing this jersey, and I’m grateful for that.

“That standard will carry us for a long time. We’ll be talking about these guys ten years from now as the guys that came in here and set a standard of what this is supposed to be, how you’re supposed to carry yourself as a Kentucky basketball player, how you’re supposed to connect yourself with your teammates. We’ll set this as a standard for the future. I’m very proud of these guys.”

Coming up short in the Sweet 16 with a lopsided loss to a rival you’ve beaten twice stings, but don’t forget the joy that this team brought back to the Bluegrass. In his first season, Mark Pope’s Cats knocked off eight top-15 ranked opponents and slayed many of Kentucky’s rivals, including Duke, Tennessee, and Louisville. Without Jaxson Robinson and with a limited Lamont Butler, they exorcised demons by getting Kentucky to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.

Sadly, Indianapolis’ demons will have to wait another year — the Final Four is here next year, after all — but Pope and his ragtag team deserve credit for bringing joy back to Kentucky Basketball. Pope said the players on this team will be in his life forever, joking that he can’t wait to find out which ones will be “slumming at [his] house some time in the next years.” Who knows, one day, Carr or Butler will find themselves in Pope’s shoes; in fact, they tried them on Friday in Indianapolis.

“We were arguing at shoot-around today, as these guys took turns sitting in the one stool on the court about which of these guys was going to be head coach first,” Pope said of Butler and Carr. “It’s going to be a race.”

“Andrew Carr for sure,” Butler predicted.

Either way, as much as the ending sucked, be grateful for the story of Mark Pope’s first season at Kentucky. And, once the pain of the loss fades, excited for what lies ahead.