Mark Fox named associate coach under Mark Pope at Kentucky

Make that three assistant coaches of five officially announced by Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats — with a fourth to come.

Cody Fueger and Jason Hart have been confirmed as recruiting assistants under Pope, and now, Mark Fox has joined the staff as an associate coach, the school announced on Wednesday. He brings his 18 years of collegiate head coaching experience with him to Lexington, a full-circle moment for Fox, who gave Pope his first job in coaching at Georgia back in 2009.

“I can’t believe that I get to work with Mark Fox,” Pope said. “Our relationship began at the University of Washington when I was a freshman and ever since then he has been an incredible mentor to me over the years. He even hired me for my first job.

“He is one of the most intelligent and most detailed-oriented coaches in all of college basketball. Mark has coached NBA draft picks. He’s coached teams in the NCAA Tournament. He’s recruited the best players in the country, and he’s dealt with every changing dynamic in college basketball over the last 25 years. Coach Fox is going to be a lynchpin in all that we do at the University of Kentucky. I’m glad to welcome Cindy and their family to Big Blue Nation.”

Fox comes from Georgetown, where he served as the Director of Student-Athlete Relations and NIL Partnerships at Georgetown University in 2023-24. Before that, he was a head coach at Nevada, Georgia and California.

“This opportunity is extra special because, not only do I get to work at one of the most traditional basketball powers in the country, but I also get to work with a former player and a former staff member who is like family to me,” Fox said.

Fox brings 324 career coaching wins, four regular-season conference titles and five NCAA Tournament appearances with him to Kentucky.

Up next? Alvin Brooks III, who is set to round out Pope’s recruiting staff as Kentucky’s Associate Head Coach.