British fans of the day will want to read about Mark Pope before the game

As a father of three children in a shared household, I have to learn from this mother. I’ve already lost one to UofL. I’ll do whatever I can to get the other two to cheer for the Cats. Any of your tips and tricks will be greatly appreciated.

We quoted Drew Franklin on ESPN

Big Blue Nation grew fond of Myron Medcalf through his work with Matt Jones on ESPN Radio. This is just a small part of his appearance on the Four Letter Network. The college basketball reporter spent a lot of time speaking to many sources for his long article on Mark Pope. Figures such as Tubby Smith, Tony Delk, George Karl, Rick Pitino and Drew Franklin are cited in this story. Yes, that Drew Franklin.

“They have a Kentucky basketball tailgate at the next football game where you can just show up and meet the players,” said Drew Franklin, a radio host at Kentucky Sports Radio in Lexington. “That never happened [Calipari]. It was almost presidential. You had to call someone to call someone to reach out [Calipari]. Now you just walk out your front door and there’s a good chance you’ll run into Mark Pope somewhere in Lexington.”

ESPN

As much as I love Drew, that wasn’t really the quote that came to mind the most. Very few have managed to successfully replace a legend, especially in college basketball. Tubby Smith is one of those exceptions, and his insight into what it takes to succeed seems prescient at this moment.

“Well, in Kentucky you’re always there,” Smith said. “You have to win and be productive. And even if you win, sometimes it’s not enough. Of course, every coach wants to win championships. We all want to win. But it’s not as easy as it looks or as it seems to win. And at Kentucky you have the tools, you have the resources, but even with that you have to have some luck. But I think [Pope] will do a great job.”

ESPN

It’s an excellent read and you won’t regret a minute spent flipping through the magazine-like article “How Kentucky coach Mark Pope decided to follow a legend.”

Mark Pope steals New York Times headlines

The New York Times shared the following message with its more than 55 million followers: “At 37, with four children and the blessing of his wife, Mark Pope dropped out of medical school and took a job as an assistant trainer. Salary: $24,000 per year. Now he holds the key to arguably the biggest job in college basketball.”

Brendan Quinn of The Athletic, a division of The New York Times, detailed the long and winding road that led Pope to the most prestigious position in college basketball. The story highlights how Pope’s character and personality shaped him into the man suitable for the job.

“Being a coach at Kentucky,” Pope says, “if that’s all you are, you’re not going to be good at it.”

The Athletic: Kentucky’s keys are in the hands of a coach like no other