A good sign of respect shown from the former UK coach.
This whole offseason and preseason has been a wild one for the Kentucky Wildcats.
First, it saw John Calipari head to Arkansas, which ultimately landed Mark Pope back in Lexington. Now, we have the return of Rick Pitino to Lexington, and have to see Coach Calipari wearing Arkansas gear.
Despite all the changes, it appears everything ended up in a better spot including the Kentucky program that desperately needed a new voice.
With SEC Basketball media days taking place on Tuesday, Coach Pope was one of the key talking points of the event. That even included a question and a response from Coach Cal.
When asked about Coach Pope and his hiring in Lexington, Calipari gave a classy response in support of his successor.
“I think they hired a perfect guy for that job. He played there, graduated from there,” Calipari said. “Has a heart for the place. I’ll be rooting for them. I want them [Kentucky] to do well, except that date [February 1st]… They hired the right guy.”
John Calipari says Kentucky hired the “right guy” in Mark Pope and will be rooting for Kentucky:
“I think they hired a perfect guy for that job. He played there, graduated from there. Has a heart for the place. I’ll be rooting for them. I want them [Kentucky] to do well, except… pic.twitter.com/7vXWDMWX2k
— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) October 15, 2024
The weirdness has not worn off yet, but it’s obvious to the fanbase and across the national landscape that most people think Coach Pope is a perfect fit for the job. Now, we just need to see this team win some games.