INDIANAPOLIS — Kentucky coach Mark Pope’s first assignment when he was hired as coach nearly a year ago was to hang banners and win national championships.
His first Kentucky team fell three wins short of claiming title No. 9. Still, the season was far from a failure, considering the Wildcats battled injuries, a rugged Southeastern Conference schedule, and managed to win 24 games to begin the Pope era. He exceeded expectations of fans and pundits who thought it may take him years to get there.
Considering the Wildcats returned zero production from last year’s squad and Pope had to build a team from scratch, winning three of five games in the postseason was no small feat. They battled and clawed through adversity and regrouped after losing second-leading scorer Jaxson Robinson to a season-ending wrist injury, not to mention Lamont Butler’s shoulder issues.
“I do believe that God has a plan for our lives,” Pope said. “I do believe God brought all of us together with this extraordinary group. I think he brought us together so each of us individually could grow. I think he brought us together so we could build relationships that are going to last forever.”
The Cats developed that lifetime bond early upon arrival during the preseason. The chemistry spilled over onto the court once the season began.
“We came in, nobody knowing each other, really no coaching staff, and we built something that was really great, really inspiring for other people,” graduate guard Lamont Butler said. “To even play at Kentucky is a dream come true for myself and a lot of guys up here. We’re grateful for him to bring us here and to bring us something that we may not have experienced before this year and really, just really grateful, honestly.”
The partnership benefitted both the coach and the players from the start of the season until the final buzzer.
“I think the University of Kentucky is in great hands,” Koby Brea said. “Just to see what he’s done this year, his first year. And not only that, but he’s a life-changer to just our group.”
Pope’s brand was a blend of past Kentucky teams that dominated the 1990s with a mixture of present-day schemes that brought renewed excitement to a program that became stagnant under the previous regime. It was more about the name on the front of the jersey than future aspirations and Pope’s squad bought into the concept.
“I don’t know who is in charge of the jerseys and all that, but they’re going to go through some trouble to get mine,” Brea said. “It’s still surreal every time I walk in the locker room, and I’m able to put this jersey on.”
Throughout the season, Kentucky racked up eight wins against teams ranked in the AP top 15, the most in program history. Among those victories were wins over Duke, Florida, and Tennessee, all of whom are in the Elite Eight.
The Wildcats swept the Volunteers during the regular season only to come up short in the first game between the two border rivals in the NCAA Tournament on Friday by a 78-65 score.
The Wildcats were defeated three times by Alabama, another SEC foe among the final eight teams left standing and suffered disappointing losses to Ohio State, Georgia, Vanderbilt and, of course, Arkansas and former coach John Calipari, along the way.
The team’s senior and graduate senior nucleus — Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson, Koby Brea, Amari Williams and Ansley Almonor — set a foundation for teams to follow.
“It’s just being relentless about it, just what these guys did to set an incredible foundation, giving us a great beginning,” Pope said. “They set a really high standard. They set a high standard on the court, and a higher standard in the locker room and off the floor.
“They set an incredibly high standard representing the University of Kentucky, representing BBN and representing this jersey, and I’m grateful for that. That standard will carry us for a long time.”
It’s only the beginning of big things to come for the Wildcats.
Keith Taylor is sports editor for Kentucky Today.