If you want to understand the subtle but significant shift happening within Kentucky basketball under Mark Pope, don’t just watch the ball.
Watch the bench.
Watch the huddles.
Watch the reactions after a missed shot or a bad call.
A meticulous focus on body language, spearheaded by assistant coach Alvin Brooks III, is quietly reshaping the program’s habits and emotional resilience.
Grading every interaction
“Alvin Brooks is probably the… leader in all of basketball… in terms of body language and team communication,” Pope declared
after the Purdue exhibition. “And he grades our team every single day and on every single touch, every single beast mode, every single interaction. Like, it’s a painstaking work, but it’s really important.”
Think about that: every single interaction. Under Pope and Brooks, Kentucky players aren’t just evaluated on points and rebounds, but on how they carry themselves. Do they keep their shoulders up after a turnover? Make eye contact in the huddle? Offer encouragement to a teammate? Sprint back on defense even after a frustrating offensive possession?
Engineering emotional consistency
This isn’t about mere optics; it’s about fostering emotional consistency and collective belief. Pope believes that positive, engaged body language is contagious and builds resilience. A team that radiates composure, even when facing adversity, is harder to break. They will stand together when things go wrong and fight to make it right.
The grading system provides tangible accountability for the emotional tone each player sets. The results are tracked and discussed, making attitude as important as execution. “We’re trying to create habits, and so the more you do it, the more it becomes a habit,” Pope explained. “So there was some intangible stuff that I thought we did pretty well tonight that we’re working so hard to make it a habit.”
The foundation for success
This intense focus on body language is foundational to the culture Pope is building. It teaches maturity, self-awareness, and the understanding that players impact the team’s energy even when they aren’t directly involved in the play. Pope trusts Brooks, known for his role in building winning cultures, to instill these crucial habits.
As Kentucky takes the floor this season, watch closely. The discipline in their posture, the connection in their communication, the resilience after mistakes; these details might reveal more about their championship potential than any box score could. Because in Pope’s program, confidence isn’t just felt; it’s visibly demonstrated.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion
