Mark Pope was Mic'd Up during Kentucky's Pro Day

Kentucky men’s basketball’s 10th annual Pro Day is officially in the books. Representatives from all 30 NBA teams were in attendance at the renovated Memorial Coliseum on Monday night in Lexington where they all got a first-hand look at Mark Pope‘s debut squad.

As expected, Pro Day was essentially a two-hour practice session, just with a live broadcast attached to it. Players split off into groups based on position and immediately jumped into some light drill work. Shooting drills, layup lines, and loose ball drills — simple stuff to get the muscles working. The intensity developed quickly from there. Fastbreak runs, 1-on-1 turned into 3-on-3, more shooting drills.

Unforautenly, we were only treated to a short amount of actual 5-on-5 basketball though, so any creative hot takes should be taken with at least a grain of salt.

After practice wrapped up, Pope made his way over to the SEC Network set where he spoke with Dick Gabriel and Jack “Goose” Givens to give his thoughts on Pro Day. After telling a quick story about Nazr Mohammed and the Rick Pitino era, Pope talked about the high character of his team as individuals and how they all mesh together so well. He admitted it wasn’t a perfect practice, but he was impressed with the progress he saw along the way.

Watch/listen below to everything Pope said on the broadcast. The SEC Network had Pope “Mic’d Up” during the actual practice as well, which you can also check out below.

Check out @CoachMarkPope who joined the Pro Day broadcast to discuss his excitement about the upcoming season. pic.twitter.com/YD73yxQL8E

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) October 7, 2024

All-Access with @CoachMarkPope during Pro Day. pic.twitter.com/R6MxrR40R7

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) October 7, 2024