John Calipari leaving: 5 Kentucky MBB head coach candidates
Mark Pope
A bit of a surprise, Pope could be on the Wildcats鈥� radar. The former Kentucky forward and member of the 1996 national championship team, Pope certainly has a deep love for the program and would be a great fit. His 110-52 career record with two NCAA Tournament appearances over nine years as head coach of both BYU and Utah Valley also proves he knows how to win. Pope鈥檚 work with the Cougars this past season is particularly impressive, as he led BYU to a 23-11 record and a spot in the NCAA Tournament in the team鈥檚 first season in the Big 12.
However, Pope is not as much of a sure thing as others on this list. He has never led his teams to a regular-season conference title or a conference tournament title. Also, perhaps most alarmingly for Wildcats鈥� fans, he has never led his team to an NCAA Tournament victory. While the idea of bringing back one of Kentucky鈥檚 most beloved championship players to lead the program is a story that sports fans dream about, the timing just may not be right for Pope given his lack of noteworthy wins and NCAA Tournament success so far.
