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Dec. 5—Round three of Gonzaga’s six-game series with Kentucky is Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
The Zags have won the first two. Unranked GU edged No. 17 Kentucky 89-85 in February at Rupp Arena, spurring the Zags’ strong second half of the season that resulted in a ninth consecutive trip to the Sweet 16.
The second-ranked Zags cruised past No. 4 Kentucky 88-72 at the Arena in November 2022.
While the Zags returned six of their top seven scorers this season, No. 4 Kentucky has a new head coach — Mark Pope replaced John Calipari — and essentially a new roster since last year’s meeting in Lexington.
We connected with longtime Lexington Herald-Leader columnist John Clay to get an update on the new-look Wildcats.
Q: It was quite an offseason at Kentucky as head coach John Calipari left for Arkansas and the Wildcats eventually hired BYU’s Mark Pope, captain of the Wildcats’ 1996 national championship team. How has the hiring of Pope received by the fan base and what are your early impressions of his philosophy, particularly his offensive system?
Clay: When the news broke that Pope was the front-runner for the job, much of Big Blue Nation was dubious. Scott Drew, Danny Hurley and Billy Donovan were the names being thrown about. All three had won NCAA titles. In nine years as a head coach, Pope had not won a single NCAA Tournament game.
It did not take long for Pope to win over BBN, however. His introductory press conference, held inside a packed Rupp Arena, was like nothing I’ve seen in my nearly 40 years covering UK athletics. The fact that he was a key member of the 1996 national title team, plus his enthusiasm and gratitude for the job, has made him immensely popular, so far. After 15 years of John Calipari, Mark has been a breath of fresh air.
His offensive system has offered a fresh approach, as well. One of the complaints about Calipari was that he did not run a “modern” offense. Pope fits that criteria and then some. His goal is to shoot 30 to 35 3-point…
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Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
Publish date : 2024-12-06 03:04:00
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