Mark Pope adds BYU's Cody Fueger to staff as assistant coach

One of Mark Pope’s most trusted assistants will be following him from BYU to Kentucky — arguably the surest thing of this coaching carousel, now made official.

Cody Fueger, named one of the most impactful mid-major assistants in Division I basketball by Silver Waves Media in 2022 and 2023, has been named an assistant coach on Pope’s staff in Lexington.

Fueger has been with Pope since 2013, starting with him at BYU as the Director of Basketball Operations (2013-15) while Kentucky’s newest head coach was an assistant. When Pope took the head coaching job at Utah Valley in 2015, Fueger followed as an assistant (2015-19), then did the same when Pope returned to Provo as head coach (2019-24).

Together for over a decade, Pope’s right-hand man will be by his side once again at Kentucky.

“Cody Fueger and I have been together for 11 years now,” Pope announced Monday. “I’ll never forget taking the job together at Utah Valley and trying to imagine how we were going to build a program that had just recently moved into Division I. If you had told us we were going to get to walk into the Joe Craft Center and coach at Rupp Arena, neither of us would have ever believed it.

“Cody is one of the most innovative offensive minds in all of college basketball. He has a grounded, wild creativity that is pushing the envelope in how this game is growing. He has been the most loyal friend who has delivered in massive ways for our team. Cody builds incredible relationships with our players and nothing makes me happier than having him, Danielle and their family join the Big Blue Nation.”

Fueger was BYU’s offensive coordinator this past season and a catalyst to a lot of the team’s success on that end of the floor as one of the most exciting teams in college basketball. BYU ranked 14th in offensive efficiency in 2023-24, while ranking third in the nation in made 3s and assists per game. The Cougars led the Big 12 in scoring at 81.4 per game in their first season in the conference. Picked to finish last in the preseason selections, BYU capped the regular season in fifth with wins over No. 7 Kansas, No. 11 Baylor and No. 24 Iowa State.

“I am extremely excited to be joining the storied Kentucky men’s basketball program,” Fueger said. “I want to thank Mitch Barnhart, Mark Pope and the entire UK staff for this opportunity. I also want to thank my family for their continued love and support.

“I look forward to continuing to work with Coach Pope as we chase banners and carry on the tradition at this premier program. Helping players grow on and off the court has always been a passion of mine, and I’m honored to get to continue that passion with the greatest fan base in the country.”

The coaching duo now plans to recreate that same success in Lexington.