Kentucky Hires Former BYU Coach Mark Pope to Fill Vacancy

The coaching carousel took a massive turn in college basketball. It started with SMU taking USC's head coach, opening the door for Eric Musselman to take his talents to Los Angeles.

With the opening at Arkansas, the Razorbacks missed out on their first couple of options. Out of nowhere, they hired Kentucky's John Calipari after he spent 15 seasons in Lexington.

Kentucky's head coaching opening was one of the most appealing in recent history. The storied program comes with very few downsides, and the cons have to do with the pressure to win and passionate fan base. 

While the Wildcats targeted Scott Drew and Dan Hurley before making a hire, they had to settle for an option that wasn't atop their big board. The hire comes at a unique time, as athletic director Mitch Barnhart opted to hire BYU's Mark Pope rather than waiting and pursuing Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan, who has accomplished plenty at the college level.

Pope landed a five-year contract to coach the Wildcats, making the leap after five seasons with BYU. 

“Mark Pope not only brings an impressive record in nine years as a head coach, but also a love of the University of Kentucky and a complete understanding of what our program means to the people of our state,” Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart said in a statement.

Pope was the team captain of the Wildcats' 1996 National Championship-winning team. Barnhart must've gotten strong endorsements for Pope as a head coach. He brings a video game-like coaching philosophy to one of the top basketball programs in the nation.