Mar 4, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope talks to the crowd after the game against the LSU Tigers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

According to a recruit's father Mark Pope isn't afraid to flaunt Kentucky's resources

Originally posted on Kentucky Wildcats on SI
By Wyatt Huff | Last updated Sep 13, 2025 9:00 AM ET

Kentucky hosted a very important target on an official visit this past weekend in 2026 top five prospect Caleb Holt. The staff was hoping to make a good impression on Holt and his family, and it seems like they did that. Kentucky Wildcats on SI caught up with Holt's father soon after his visit this week, where he went in-depth on how the visit went.

Mark Pope is looking to hit the ground running and land a couple of big names, including Holt. The staff certainly wanted to pull out all of the stops and it sounds like they did with Holt in town. Kentucky, under Pope, has become one of just a few schools with plenty of resources around its basketball program. They had those resources all on display last weekend during Holt's visit, and his father talked about how the program presented itself with their facilities.

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"It seems like they have the resources and they don't shy away from showing it in that regard," Holt's father said. He also discussed just how good the facilities were, comparing it to some of the most high-profile franchises in all of sports. "I've been to many SEC establishments, and they're all really nice. But Kentucky's, if, you know, it's like, they're, they have a standard as if they're, like, if you can imagine, like the Cowboys or the Lakers."

It's really clear just how top-notch Kentucky's resources are as a program. A practice facility that, even though it is expected to receive an upgrade in the near future, recruits are still really impressed by. The culture that Mark Pope has instilled into the program seems to be really enticing to recruits with how much valuable resources they have as a program. Speaking of resources, Holt's father seemed really impressed by Rupp Arena when they got the chance to walk on the floor as well as catch a team practice.

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"We went to Rupp got a chance to actually just go out there and walk on the floor, and man, it was just like a spectacular scene, just with regard to the layout of the arena and and the capacity. We were really impressed with that and all of the offices and then the way the peripheral architecture around the actual arena aspect, the basketball arena part, all of it was very impressive."

Kentucky doesn't just have its arena to show off to recruits, they have plenty of resources surrounding it that can help make a good impression on visitors.

This article first appeared on Kentucky Wildcats on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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