Mark Pope was introduced as Kentucky men's basketball coach and didn't mince words, saying 'We are here to win banners.'
BYU head coach Mark Pope shouts to the team during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Georgia State on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, in Provo, Utah. One of the last players to exit a bus full of Kentucky greats on the Rupp Arena floor, Mark Pope held the 1996 NCAA championship trophy aloft and basked in the cheers during his introduction as the Wildcats’ new men’s basketball coach.
“Every coach in America at every other job in America stands up at the press conference and they try and moderate expectations," Pope said Sunday. "We don’t do that here in Kentucky. When Mitch called me and talked to me about being the head coach here at Kentucky, I understand the assignment. We are here to win banners.
“I literally was walking and I promise you that the only thought that came into my mind was if I don’t make this, they are going to kill me,” he said. “And who wouldn’t want that? That’s why we’re here, guys. That’s what we do.” The challenge that juiced Pope the most was maintaining Kentucky's “gold standard” of excellence from winning eight national championships.Several trophies from that 1995-96 season were displayed on a table next to the podium, offering reminders of what Pope helped achieve as a player and the bar he must meet as coach. Fans cheered every time a highlight from that season with Pope were shown on video screens, providing the feel of a pep rally and home game rolled into one.
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