LEXINGTON, Ky. (WSAZ)- Mark Pope arrived at Rupp Arena on Sunday, much like he did after winning the national championship in 1996.
He was captain of the 1996 national championship-winning squad.
Pope enters a rare, dream transition from a former player to the head coach for the University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball program.
Sunday, Pope held his first press conference as head coach.
“When Mitch called me and talked to me about being the head coach at Kentucky, I understood the assignment. We’re here to win banners. As we go through this journey, we are here to win banners in Nashville. Our assignment is to win banners in the final four and win national championships. That’s our job,” Pope said.
Pope is a nine-year coaching veteran with stops at BYU and Utah Valley with a 187-108 career record. His squads won 20 or more games in six of the last seven seasons, and he has made six postseason appearances.
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