Mark Pope says NBA Draft will continue to be a 'special day for Kentucky'

The NBA Draft became a taboo topic in the final years of the John Calipari era in Lexington. Not that fans weren’t rooting for these kids to pursue their professional dreams and make millions while representing the Kentucky Wildcats, but that the pro factory was no longer producing March Madness runs that helped make the constant roster turnover easier to swallow.

It was a blast when it was John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns and Devin Booker succeeding and proceeding at the highest level. Not so much when the rides come to a screeching halt following disappointing postseason losses, no matter what the players’ draft stock suggests — certainly not when your legacy as a none-and-done is how good you looked in the pregame layup line a few times.

Big Blue Nation loved the happy medium, restless when the culture prioritized draft picks and pro salaries over banners.

Mark Pope’s take to open this new era of Kentucky basketball, starting with tonight’s 2024 NBA Draft? Finding that happy medium again.

“We’re super excited about the draft. We’ve got five guys eligible for this draft and there’s gonna be some more history made with Kentucky basketball in the NBA Draft,” Pope said Tuesday. “We’re super excited for these young men and what they contributed here, what they’re going to do in the future.”

Best of luck to @reed_sheppard, Rob Dillingham, @Jedwards3_, @ToniooReeves and @tre_mitch33 on #NBADraft Day.

I’m excited for each of them to see their dreams become a reality and join a fraternity of special Kentucky players. pic.twitter.com/MgI5YtqZRs

— Mark Pope (@CoachMarkPope) June 26, 2024

Pope previously called the NBA a “mainstay of Kentucky basketball since the beginning of time” while adding that the “brilliant relationship” between the two entities is crucial for the Wildcats’ long-term success. Why? Elite talent helps you win games, and this new staff is going to continue bringing in elite talent.

They just hope and plan to hang banners in the process, like all of the best coaches in this program’s rich history have done. It doesn’t have to be one or the other in Lexington.

“In our tenure, it’s been a defining feature of Kentucky basketball. Looking at these great coaches on the wall here — like, come on,” Pope said, pointing to the program’s endless accolades on display inside the Joe Craft Center. “This is a Mount Rushmore of coaching in all of college basketball. Clearly what Cal has done, what he’s done is incredible. Tubby put some of the greatest pros to ever play the game into the NBA. Coach (Pitino) — he looks a lot younger here, but still just as animated. Love you, Coach. My team had nine guys go play in the NBA from our team.

“This tradition at Kentucky of having great players come here, hang banners, then go play in the NBA is part of what makes this place so special.”

Calipari did it, Tubby did it, Pitino did it, Joe B. did it and Rupp did it. Pope wants to continue that trend.

“I’m excited for all these guys. I’m excited for Justin (Edwards), I’m excited for Reed (Sheppard), obviously, we’re excited for Rob (Dillingham) and the whole crew, right?” Pope said. “This is a special moment for guys, you know? You just dream of the moment where you get to hear your name called. You work really hard at it and there are no guarantees. It is what it is, it’s just super challenging. This filter going from college to the NBA is an excruciating filter. It gets really complicated.

“It’s an incredibly exciting time for these guys to start a new journey in their life. … (This) is a special day for Kentucky. We’re really excited for these guys that wore this jersey and represent this place really well.”

How does Pope know? He was in their shoes before, selected No. 52 overall in the 1996 NBA Draft. The Kentucky head coach was asked to share a story from that night ahead of the 2024 edition, making it clear he had no business hearing his name called.

“I got drafted, it was a mistake,” Pope joked. “I’m pretty sure Donnie Walsh never recovered, he was the president of the Pacers. In fact, Larry Brown did get fired after that season, so they were clearly questioning the leadership in making that decision (to draft me). It’s all thanks to Coach (Pitino) and thanks to the guys on the team — I have no chance to get drafted if we don’t win a national championship.”

Pope would go on to score a smooth 285 points in his NBA career while pulling down 261 rebounds to go with 63 assists, 45 blocks and 32 steals over six seasons with the Pacers, Bucks and Nuggets. He says Pitino deserves credit for speaking his name into existence that draft night as an analyst on the television panel.

“I’m super grateful for Coach because if you go back and look at the film, Coach Pitino was on live on a show with four guys doing the draft,” he said. “I got picked 52nd — I think that’s right — and I think there were 58 or 59 people in the draft. It was late. They showed the one highlight I have for my career, it was very short. They flashed back to the panel and Coach leans back in his chair and holds up his rosary beads and was like, ‘Thank goodness. I’ve been rubbing my rosary beads the last 10 picks.’ I’m sure that has something to do with it.”

Pope knows what it’s like to succeed and proceed in blue and white. The next group of Wildcats will do the same starting Wednesday night in Brooklyn, potentially with two top-10 picks in Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham.

It may not be the greatest night in Kentucky history, but the draft will still be important moving forward.