PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 21: Head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts to a call during the first half of a game against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 21, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
Surprising New:The coach Mark Pope Announced His….
Kentucky hired Mark Pope to replace John Calipari. That should be fine.
No, really.
The optics, yes, are bad, when the school flogged its job in front of Dan Hurley and Scott Drew and a fistful of other higher-profile coaches, only to be told no. But Pope is a good coach who’s steered BYU to three top-20 KenPom finishes in five seasons in Provo. His offenses are fun and inventive and shoot a thousand 3s, and if everything is presented the right way it shouldn’t be hard to find talented players willing to try them out
But there is a more fundamental philosophical discussion around the decision to hire a coach with Pope’s resume. History suggests jobs like Kentucky should be in the business of making stars, not hiring them.
There are no perfect analogues in coach searching. Each job is its own challenge at the time it opens, with strengths and weaknesses distinct to the present climate and situation. Sticking with the current example, Kentucky right now is not the job it would have been half a decade ago, had the rumors about John Calipari’s interest in NBA jobs taken more serious form. It is certainly a different animal than when Calipari was hired in 2008.
