Mark Pope recalls dunking and chest-bumping Rick Pitino at Memorial Gym

Tomorrow, Kentucky heads to Nashville for Saturday’s game vs. the Vanderbilt Commodores. It will be Mark Pope’s first trip back to Memorial Gymnasium since his playing days at Kentucky. The Cats were 4-0 against the ‘Dores during Pope’s two seasons as a Wildcat, two of those wins coming in Music City. Because of Memorial Gym’s funky setup, one moment stands above the rest.

“I love that gym just because I have one great memory,” Pope told reporters today. “We were playing Vandy in a tough game and we’re racing down the floor in the second half. We’re kind of making a run that got us some separation, and I can’t remember if it was Anthony [Epps] or [Tony Delk], someone kind of hit me with a trail pass. We’re in transition. They got two feet off the baseline and kind of threw it over their shoulder, and I ran in and dunked it.”

That’s great, but isn’t why the moment was so memorable. Because the benches are on the baselines at Memorial Gym and not the sidelines, Rick Pitino was standing near the basket during Pope’s dunk. Pope seized the opportunity to celebrate with his coach.

“If I remember correctly, I barely got it over the rim and got fouled, and then Coach [Pitino] was standing right there, and so I got to go chest bump him. And I don’t think Coach was super happy about that, but I’ve always loved the configuration of the gym since that moment.”

Things have changed a little since then. In 2015, the NCAA mandated that coaching boxes be extended down one sideline, allowing head coaches to roam the sideline up to the scorer’s table to be closer to their players. Pope has yet to coach a game in Memorial but joked that point guards used to love the old rules because the distance from the bench made it easier to tune out their coaches.

“I think it’s a great venue,” he said. “It’s a little bit of a different vibe for our guys being on the baseline. And I think point guards love it because they can’t ever hear what the coach is saying and so they don’t have to pay attention. But I think they’re letting us roam the sideline all the way to hash now, but I do think it’s a great venue, and right now, the way they’re playing, it’s a great gym, and I’m sure it’ll be sold out, like all gyms and, and they got some good juice in there, so it should be really fun.”

Pope isn’t lying about the juice. Even though Vanderbilt is in its first season under Mark Byington, the Commodores are 15-4 and 3-3 in SEC play. Last week, they upset No. 6 Tennessee 76-75 in Nashville, proving that Memorial Magic is alive and well. Saturday’s game is sold out, with tickets going for a pretty penny on secondary markets. Kentucky fans have a tradition of taking over Memorial — the game being on a Saturday this season certainly helps — but Vanderbilt fans are excited too. Should be a fun one.

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Snowball fight at Bud Walton Arena

Where does Memorial Gym rank among SEC road venues for Pope? He declined to pick a favorite but recalled Kentucky’s trip to Arkansas in 1995 to play the defending national champion Razorbacks. A snowstorm had hit Fayetteville and the team bus couldn’t make it down the ramp to get in. With students waiting outside the doors, Rick Pitino prepped his team for what was going to happen next.

“All the students were waiting around the outdoor concourse, waiting to get in, so Coach [Pitino] stood up in the bus and — you guys have probably heard this story, and I didn’t know what he was going to say. He said, ‘Listen, when we get out of this bus, I’m pretty sure that you’re gonna get pelted with a bunch of snowballs, and I fully expect you to return fire.’ And so we went sliding down the ramp, hurling snowballs back and forth with the Arkansas fans.”

No snow is expected in Nashville this weekend, but hopefully, Kentucky’s trip to Memorial Gym will provide some more happy memories for Pope and his squad.

“I probably have a moment like that with every one of these venues,” Pope said. “It’s a really great league, and it’s better than it’s ever been. It’s incredible right now, and these venues make it really special.”

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