Kentucky basketball’s Mark Pope on path for National Coach of the Year honors | C.L. Brown

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No question, Kentucky men’s basketball coach Mark Pope would win the National Coach of the Year honor for nonconference play.

That is, if some organization actually sponsored such an award.

It’s a sentiment that’s pretty widely recognized by media and coaches alike based on the Wildcats’ surprising start. Louisville coach Pat Kelsey was among those who said as much this month before the rivals played.

Pope stands out from potential competition such as Auburn’s Bruce Pearl and Tennessee’s Rick Barnes, who have vaulted their respective teams to a stratosphere they’re rarely in as the current top-two ranked teams in the polls.

Oregon’s Dana Altman brought the Ducks from receiving just 16 votes in the preseason coaches poll to becoming a top-10 team. He’s worth a mention, too.

But no other coach matches the short-and-quick journey Pope has taken UK from inheriting a program with no remaining players on the roster from last season to the top 10.

And he did it having to replace the sizable void left after John Calipari’s 15-year reign ended when he jetted for Arkansas. Say what you will about the last years of Calipari, when he took over and had things rolling, from 2011 to 2015 — with four Final Fours, the 2012 national title, flirting with an undefeated season in ‘15 all while featuring an abundance of must-see talents — was one of the best stretches in program history.

Pope’s early success has come with a completely different approach.

He handpicked the players who were the best fit for his system, not necessarily the highest ranked talent he could find.

He knows a thing or two about in-game coaching, too, as evidenced by his prescient talk in the huddle during the closing seconds in the Cats’ win over Duke. He predicted Cooper Flagg would spin and told his players someone should come away with a steal.

His adjustment to a 1-3-1 zone helped UK rally from down 16 at halftime against Gonzaga to win in overtime.

Those two wins alone helped Pope erase doubts, even…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kentucky-basketballs-mark-pope-path-101602756.html

Author : The Courier Journal

Publish date : 2024-12-24 10:16:00

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