Kyle Smith leaving; 5 Washington State head coach candidates
Mark Pope
Pope is another coach who earned notoriety in Washington. He was a high school phenom at Newport High School in Bellevue before playing two seasons with the Washington Huskies at the collegiate level. Following his playing career, Pope rose from an assistant coach to a head coach at Utah Valley to now head coach of BYU. The BYU Cougars are coming off of a successful season of their own which included an NCAA Tournament appearance and Pope has gone 187-108 with two NCAA Tournament appearances in five years with the program.
However, like Medved, would Pope consider the move even to a state where he is so deeply rooted? While it would be a homecoming of sorts for Pope, he would be leaving a Big 12 Conference gig for a West Coast Conference job. Is that something he鈥檇 want to do? His name has circulated other openings too so he may be more interested in those roles as well, but an opportunity to coach back in a state where he grew up could move the needle for Washington State.
