Kentucky coach Mark Pope never played high school basketball in the Bluegrass State.
If you didn’t know any better, you would think he has bled Blue all of his life. His three seasons at Kentucky from 1994-96, including a year he had to sit out because of NCAA transfer rules in place at the time, was all it took for Pope to understand what it means to wear the Blue-and-White jersey.
During his introductory press conference last month, Pope brought along his No. 41 jersey from his home in Provo, Utah. He proudly displayed it in front of the thousands of fans who welcomed him back as the 23rd men’s basketball coach in school history.
That jersey, the one he wore during the national championship game in 1996, came from a “hallowed place” in his home. That jersey represents how he has always felt about Kentucky and Big Blue Nation.
“That’s not just a jersey that will go in the closet,” he said. “It is a jersey that has blood, sweat, and tears and love and it is all of us together. … I love this place from the depths of my soul. It changed my entire life.”
How important are the letters K-E-N-T-U-C-K-Y?
“These players know, what all of the future players will learn really quick, OK, is that they are not doing those jerseys a favor by letting the jerseys clothe them,” Pope said. “Our guys will know quickly, and it is hard not to know, it will be one of the great honors of their life to put that jersey on. There is only a select few players in the world that ever get to wear a Kentucky jersey. To wear a Kentucky jersey, it is one of the greatest honors guys can ever have as a basketball player.”
Since his introductory press conference, Pope has pieced together a promising roster for next season, but he also kept Kentucky Mr. Basketball and the state’s all-time leading scorer Travis Perry from going astray. Just this week, he added another prep standout player, Trent Noah, who originally signed with South Carolina. Both players rank in the top five in the state on the all-time scoring list and gives Pope early leverage when it comes to signing the top talent in the state.
Perry and Noah will become the first two standout players from the Bluegrass to play for the Wildcats since 2017 when Dominique Hawkins and Derek Willis wore the Kentucky jersey.
“Before Richie (Farmer) and after Travis Perry and everybody in-between that is an instate Kentucky kid, these young men that grow up in Kentucky, they bring a spirit to the team that cannot be fabricated or replaced,” he said. “It helps us to win, and we will continue to recruit them.”
After they sign, that’s where the work begins.
During his playing career at Kentucky, Pope learned about “putting extra work in” and that “Kentucky resiliance is a requirement.”
“It is not an exception, it is a requirement, and I learned that here,” he said. “I learned here about the passion that wins championships. Passion wins championships.”
The jersey brings the tradition and pride and Pope will make sure his players will never take the Kentucky jersey for granted.
Keith Taylor is sports editor for Kentucky Today