Mark Pope is in Istanbul, Turkey, for the FIBA U17 World Cup
Mark Pope spent America’s birthday outside of America. On Thursday morning, Kentucky‘s head basketball coach shared a photo from London, England, part of his travels across the globe to Istanbul, Turkey, where he is recruiting for the future of the Wildcats.
Why Istanbul? Because Istanbul’s Sinan Erdem Dome is home to the 2024 FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup. Today, the United States U17 team beat Canada, 111-60, in the quarterfinals to advance to Saturday’s semifinal round. AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 player in the class, led Team USA with 18 points. Cameron and Cayden Boozer, Koa Peat, and Chris Cenac are other participants with offers from the University of Kentucky.
The reigning champion Americans will play New Zealand in Saturday’s semifinal. On the other side, Turkey, the host nation, plays Italy for a spot in the championship game.
Pope isn’t the only SEC coach to travel across the pond to watch Team USA firsthand. John Calipari has also been spotted in Istanbul, recruiting many of the same targets for Arkansas.
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Derek Willis found Pope and Calipari
Former Kentucky star Derek Willis plays professionally in Turkey, and he connected with Pope and his old coach, Calipari, during their FIBA World Cup visits.
Watch Team USA in the semifinals
Follow along on FIBA’s YouTube channel as the Americans play for a spot in the championship game on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. ET.
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