Mark Pope brings 'Hal Mumme style of basketball' to Kentucky

Hal Mumme is widely known as the godfather of the modern air raid offense and one of the most innovative minds in college football history. He helped shatter records left and right in Lexington, highlighted by a two-year stretch that included six new NCAA records, 41 SEC records and 116 school records in just 22 games. Defense was mostly an afterthought and he left the program with over three dozen violations and a 2-9 record in his final season, but when things were rolling, Mumme had the nation wrapped around his finger.

Earning back-to-back bowl appearances and guiding Tim Couch to No. 1 status in the 1999 NFL Draft, one of his former star players sees a few similarities with Kentucky‘s new basketball coach — at least when it comes to the fun highs of the Mumme era.

And that’s a good thing, certainly when considering the fact Dennis Johnson sent his son, five-star guard Jasper Johnson, to play for Mark Pope in Lexington.

“Just knowing his system of play, I think the style of play is going to fit Jasper. He kind of reminds me of a Hal Mumme of UK basketball,” Johnson said of Pope on KSR’s Sources Say Podcast. “When Hal came in, we kind of had a system of play. Hal comes in and he’s going for it on 4th and 30. I think you’re going to see that out of Pope. He’s the energetic guy, he’s going to say, ‘Let’s let it fly, and if we don’t make it, get back and play defense. Get out in transition and run.’ I think he’s kind of got a Hal Mumme style of basketball.”

Johnson was named Sports Illustrated’s National High School Player of the Year, a First-Team All-American and Kentucky Mr. Football after racking up 150 tackles, 37 tackles for loss and 18 sacks as a senior at Harrodsburg (KY) HS. He would close out his historic career with 521 tackles, 76 sacks, 140 tackles for loss, 42 fumbles caused, 25 fumble recoveries and 19 blocked kicks in six seasons of varsity football — an all-time football talent in Kentucky who was also a superstar basketball player and track & field athlete.

Then he became a Freshman All-American under Mumme at Kentucky, the start of one of the most decorated defensive careers in school history that included First-Team All-SEC honors in 2001.

Now his son is a five-star hooper ranked inside the top-15 nationally committed to follow in Dennis’ footsteps as a Wildcat, a decision that didn’t come lightly — just like his own a few decades back. He could have gone anywhere in the country to play football, ultimately choosing to stay home over finalists Notre Dame, Florida, Miami (FL) and Colorado. Jasper picked the Cats over Alabama, Arkansas, Louisville and North Carolina.

What stood out about the hometown program for the Lexington native? It was Pope’s offensive mind, a ‘guru’ capable of putting his son in a position to score and make shots en route to the pros just as he dominated on the gridiron on his way to the NFL way back when.

“As we go through this process — I’m a football guy, so people always talk about the NBA and their pro-style offense. Me talking to a lot of coaches and asking a lot of questions, I’m able to kind of get a vision of what it looks like watching a lot of film with these coaches,” Johnson told KSR. “It’s hard and I think people underestimate that. Pope does a great job, he is a smart individual. I mean, he is an offensive guru and in the upper echelon of offensive minds in college basketball. That’s what you want your kid to play in. It’s not just A-B-C-D, it’s if you get this read and you get this look, you do this.

“It’s DHOs and pick-and-rolls, all that stuff is kind of a feel thing, which is more of an NBA style. They put the ball up, and for a guy like Jasper who likes to shoot the ball, I think this system works perfectly for him.”

It won’t always be perfect — Dennis made sure to tell Pope he has the freedom to put his son on the bench if he gets a bit too trigger-happy — but the fit is mutually beneficial.

“I told (Pope), I said, ‘Coach, you’re going to have to get him. Every once in a while he’s going to come down and get that twitch and shoot a 35- or 40-footer. You’re going to have to probably yank his you-know-what out,'” the five-star guard’s father said. “He said, ‘Nah, we’ll work with it.'”

At his best, what are the Wildcats getting in his son? Jasper won’t always be Anthony White or Craig Yeast scoring on the hardwood — he’s got some Tim Couch in him, too.

“I think the one thing about Jasper is he knows (how to read) the room and the court. He’s going to be able to get a lot of guys involved,” Dennis said. “I know people see him as a scorer, but he’s a very smart and underrated passer and he’s going to get people involved. I think he has a great ability to bring people together.”

It’s about finding the balance and understanding when it’s time to feed his teammates and get other guys going vs. when he’s feeling it and the scoring wave hits.

“If Malachi (Moreno) needs a touch, he’ll get Malachi a touch. If so-and-so — if Acaden (Lewis) comes, here’s a touch. If Caleb (Wilson) comes, you know what I’m saying? He’s not selfish, he’s selfless, even though he’s a scorer,” he added. “Once he starts filling it up, he can get on a streak and go crazy — he’s going to do some unorthodox stuff, man. That’s just kind of how he’s always been since he was a kid, but that’s who you’re getting in Jasper.”

Above all else, the Wildcats are getting a player who knows what it means to wear that jersey, just as his dad did on the football field. Like Dennis, he’s going to give it everything he has in blue and white.

“Like he said, ‘KY till I die,’ man. That’s the phrase that works for him. He’s going to give it everything he’s got and he’s going to play hard, get the crowd going and have that smile with those dreads side to side. He’ll be an exciting player for the Wildcats.”