What is Mark Pope's Floor for First-Year Kentucky Basketball Coaches?

Mark Pope will have the benefit in his first season as Kentucky’s coach as the program is in a bit of a muddy state. John Calipari’s tenure didn’t end so well and Pope’s roster is a bit of an unknown in how the guys will mesh. I think that will ultimately benefit Pope because expectations will be mixed in Year 1. I don’t see a mass revolt against him should the Cats lose a few games in the early part of the year. Some coaches didn’t have that benefit. And some have come into a rebuilding program.

But Pope will still be expected to perform at some kind of level in Year 1. So I thought it would be easiest to stack up the previous first years for Kentucky in the modern era (post-Rupp). What kind of season could Mark Pope have that would satisfy this fanbase after one season?

TUBBY SMITH (1997-98)

Record: 35-4
SEC Record: 14-2
Final National Ranking: 1st
NCAA Tournament: Champions
SEC Tournament: Champions

What more would you have wanted out of a first-year coach? To me, only one box wasn’t checked and that was losing to Louisville (at Rupp). Other than that, this was the gold standard for first-year coaches. Plus, nobody faced higher expectations than Smith, and then he exceeded them. Coming off back-to-back national title game appearances and then he wins it all? Dominates the SEC once again. Has one of the most memorable teams in modern history. If Pope’s team even comes close to this kind of squad, it would be lights out.

GRADE: A+

JOHN CALIPARI (2009-2010)

Record: 35-3
SEC Record: 14-2
Final National Ranking: 5th
NCAA Tournament: Elite 8 (Lost to West Virginia)
SEC Tournament: Champions

You obviously can’t rank this ahead of Tubby’s first year but I put it just a nick ahead of Sutton because of the aura and attitude that this season came with. Kentucky was in the dumps after Billy G. and it was brought back with such force and quickness in Cal’s first year. Add to that a generational talent in John Wall and it was such a shame it ended in the Elite 8. But when looking at the big picture and what kind of foundation it laid for future years, this success was an unmitigated success.

GRADE: A

EDDIE SUTTON (1985-86)

Record: 32-4
SEC Record: 17-1
Final National Ranking: 3rd
NCAA Tournament: Elite 8 (lost to LSU 59-57)
SEC Tournament: Champions

Really two main points to highlight about Sutton’s first team. They definitely overachieved as they were ranked just 11th in the preseason but turned out to be one of the nation’s best teams. A senior Kenny Walker was a 1st-team All-American. The roster was stacked. They had regular-season wins over Indiana and Louisville and won 19 of their last 20 games headed into the NCAA Tournament, including an SEC Tournament championship. But the Elite 8 loss to LSU, a team it had already beaten THREE times in the regular season, but a resounding thud to this first campaign. It’s hard to knock an incredible season like this but a Final Four would have certainly made it the #1 choice in the modern era.

GRADE: A-

MARK POPE (2024-25)

This is where I think a satisfactory Mark Pope season would lie. Fans will expect him to compete for the SEC title this year. That is a must. They will expect him to make the NCAA Tournament, and not just barely. But I don’t think anybody is calling for a national title. And I don’t think anybody is requiring a Final Four. I think people just want to see a well-coached team that competes hard every game, a coach who connects with the fans, and a better defense of Rupp Arena.

JOE B. HALL (1972-73)

Record: 20-8
SEC Record: 14-4
Final National Ranking: 17th
NCAA Tournament: Elite 8 (lost to Indiana 72-65)

Hall’s first season got off to a rough start, losing 3 of their first 4 games, including his first home game and to both Indiana and North Carolina. But after that UK straightened out its season, culminating in winning 11 of their last 12 regular season games. While saying the Cats made the Elite 8 looks nice on paper, don’t forget the tournament was 25 teams at that time and UK only needed to win 1 game to get there. This was probably a solid starting point for the Hall era and would see a Final Four just 2 years later.

GRADE: B

RICK PITINO (1989-90)

Record: 14-14
SEC Record: 10-8
Final National Ranking: None
NCAA Tournament: Did Not Qualify

This was by far the worst first-year team in the modern era but you also have to put it in context. This was also by far the worst roster that any coach inherited, decimated by probation. No games on television. And yet, the fact this Pitino squad turned in a .500 season and a winning SEC record had to bode well for the future. Plus, his style of play was in full force that first year. Just a reminder that Derrick Miller heaved up 289 three-pointers that year, a number that was larger than the entire TEAM just 2 seasons before had attempted. The win over Shaq and LSU late in that season also looms as one of the better UK wins in history. You can’t knock this season too bad but you can’t hold it up against the ones above it.

GRADE: B

BILLY GILLISPIE (2007-08)

Record: 18-13
SEC Record: 12-4
Final National Ranking: None
NCAA Tournament: 1st Round (lost to Marquette)
SEC Tournament: Quarterfinals

Maybe the craziest stat of all you can find: Billy Gillispie was the SEC Coach of the Year that season. But I don’t see how you can define this year as almost anything but a failure. UK did make the NCAA Tournament but exited in the first round for the first time since the 1980s. We did get some flashes of brilliance from Ramel Bradley, Joe Crawford, and Patrick Patterson. We saw Jodie Meeks start to flourish. But yet, they lost 13 games. They lost to Gardner-Webb, UAB, Houston, and San Diego. They lost to Louisville by 14. At home. They lost by 41 to Vanderbilt. A bloody disaster that I am only giving a D because they still squeaked into the NCAA Tournament.

GRADE: D