Last April, the BBN welcomed Mark Pope back to Lexington as the new head coach of the Kentucky Wildcat program.
It had been a few turbulent years around the program as John Calipari and the fanbase started to fall out of love, and a change was obviously needed for both parties. Obviously, it worked out for both sides, as Coach Pope brought the breath of fresh air that was needed around the Joe Craft Practice Center.
Well, what if Mark Pope had already taken another major program job just a few years
beforehand? Do we think he still would have left?
According to one report, that very well could have happened.
Jeff Goodman and the Field of 68 joined KSR on Tuesday before they headed to watch practice, and according to Goodman, Pope crushed his interview with Arizona after Sean Miller was let go.
“It was already hooked up for Tommy Lloyd. But he very well could’ve had the Arizona job,” said Goodman.
Pope later confirmed the report, saying, “There were some genuine conversations happening, but the right person (Lloyd) got that job.”
Last year’s UK coaching search was already a circus, as Danny Hurley turned down a MASSIVE offer, and Scott Drew took to the local Mexican restaurant to confirm his return to Waco, while Billy Donovan’s season with the Chicago Bulls was still ongoing.
What would have happened if Coach Pope had been coaching the Wildcats in Arizona and didn’t want to come back to the blue and white?
Luckily, we didn’t have to worry about that scenario and were able to get Pope from Provo back to the Bluegrass State. And while Arizona is a great job, Pope’s love for his alma mater likely would have still won out and led to him leaving Tucson for Lexington.
