A huge section of Kentucky Wildcats fans reacted harshly the moment they announced Mark Pope would take over as the program’s new head coach. Understandably, some sections of fans would be unhappy with the hire after missing out on some of the big-name coaches they were initially linked with.
However, doubts about how the supporters feel about their new head coach immediately dissipated during his introductory press conference. Media men present at the event were treated to a spectacle that would make one think the 2023-24 basketball season is still underway.
Kentucky Wildcats fans showed up in the thousands during Mark Pope’s introductory press conference
Jack Pilgrim of Kentucky Sports Radio was present at the conference held at Rupp Arena, the hallowed stomping grounds of the Wildcats. Even before the conference started, he was startled by the number of people present at the event.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” he captioned the video he posted on social media.
Even the highest sections of the arena far from the court were filled with Kentucky fans who wanted to hear what their new head coach had to say.
The grand welcome Pope got during the opening minutes of the press conference was so electric that one could have easily mistaken the event as something the WWE would have come up with:
It’s clear that the Kentucky Wildcats have already bought into what Pope can bring to the program, which has stagnated with consequent early March Madness exits during the final years of John Calipari’s reign in Lexington.
Mark Pope promises banners for the Kentucky Wildcats
Pope, a member of the 1996 championship team that played under legendary coach Rick Pitino, knew the weight of expectations set on his shoulders. He met those expectations clearly and promised banners for the excited crowd.
Per the Louisville Courier Journal’s Ryan Black:
“We’re here to win banners in Nashville,” said Pope, pausing as the crowd roared at the mention of the conference tournament’s usual host city, “because you guys turn out in Nashville like nobody else.”
“Our goal is to win every single game we play,” he said. “That’s what we’re shooting for.”
Should they lose — Pope was quick to add the caveat “if that happens” — his players will pick themselves up off the mat. They’ll lean on what he plans to make core values of his new program: resiliency and relentlessness, traits Pitino hammered into him nearly 30 years ago.
After Mark Pope made such grandiose promises, it’s now up to him to walk the talk before he gets an early exit from the program.
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