Pope Cat teases the new coach is signing their player for a….
Though the inaugural press conference on Sunday was a spectacle unto itself, Mark Pope’s inaugural weekly radio program as Kentucky’s head coach provided a preview of what Big Blue Nation should expect from the Wildcats on the court come next season.
In an hour-long interview with Tom Leach of the UK Sports Network, a fan asked Pope to list some of the important components of the offensive plan he will bring from BYU.
“They are classified as top-secret,” Pope joked.
Leach said, “It’s going to be a long show,” following an awkward silence.
Naturally, the genial Pope was eager to discuss the approach that enabled BYU to be among the top teams in the country in terms of offensive efficiency, 3-point shooting percentage, and scoring this year. And once he got going, his self-described “super-dorky” passion was hard to stop.
“I enjoy studying basketball,” Pope declared. UK AD Mitch Barnhart thought Pope was maybe the first Rhodes Scholar applicant he had ever spoken to. “… It’s really a font of creativity, and it’s been really fun to watch the evolution of the game.”
Pope has seen the game change from being a post-dominated physical war to the popular pick-and-roll chess match in recent years. Currently, the game is changing into a wide-open spacing challenge in which all five players are frequently out of the paint.
“Without the ball, they’re all moving and analyzing each other,” Pope said of the innovative idea that Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors successfully implemented.
He continued, “It’s an exciting way to play.” At this moment, teamwork is at an outstanding level. Being an excellent cutter is one of the most selfless tasks in basketball. Excellent cutters are compensated in the game of basketball right now, as I always remind our players. Even if you can wind up sprinting all over the court and not getting the ball, you’re still setting up opportunities, actions, and space for your teammates, and that’s a crucial component of our offense.”
In the previous season’s Ken Pomeroy efficiency rankings, BYU came in at number 14. In terms of points scored (41%), the Cougars were second in the country. If it
“Forcing people to guard 27 by 50 feet is really important to us,” the pontiff stated. “… We feel like that forces teams to guard more space than anybody else in the country does.”
It appears that the Cats’ defensive scheme will be even more of a radical departure from John Calipari’s rigid man-to-man defense.
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