The roster has changed, but the expectations remain the same at Kentucky.
He knew what was expected as a player, especially during the Wildcats’ national championship run in 1996.
“(Rick Pitino) was different,’ Pope said during a press conference Monday. “He just told us if we didn’t win every game, he was going to kill us.
“I never knew exactly what that meant, if it was just going to be figuratively in practice or actually kill us. It was probably some grouping of both.”
Entering his second season as coach at Kentucky, Pope knows the assignment and remains committed to the high standard that’s expected at Kentucky. The Wildcats finished 24-12 a year ago and reached the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.
“The expectation was exactly the same (in 1996),” Pope said. “The expectation here has nothing to do with me setting it. It’s what it is at Kentucky. It’s one of the things that sets us apart from every other program in the country.
“I happen to love it. I love every bit of it. I’m grateful to be here, where only one ending to the season makes it a satisfying season. That’s where I want to be and that’s where our guys want to be.”
So far, Pope believes his second team at Kentucky has what it takes to be successful.
“I think we have some space to find some great pace with this team for a lot of reasons,” Pope said. “I think we have some personnel who have motors. I think we have some depth that we can really rely on. We have a versatile group of bigs who can attack the game in several different ways.”
He added the team has the chance to feature a "dynamic backcourt" and become a better team on the defensive end of the floor.
“I thought this team had a chance to grow into a great defensive team,” Pope said. “We have a long way to go, but I think we can get there. I think we have a chance to have a dynamic backcourt. I have high hopes for this group. I think we have a chance.”
Pope also wants to make sure the Wildcats are on task and living up to the standard.
“One of our key ideas this year is living to a standard every single possession,” he said. “We’re going to blow up practice a lot more.”
ANDRIJA JELAVIC UPDATE
Pope provided an update on Croatian forward Andrija Jelavic on Monday and said the University recently received his transcripts.
“He just finished classes, which is awesome,” Pope said. “That part of this process is complete, and now it's going through the rest of it.”
Jelavic, 21, is a 6-foot-11 forward and will wear No. 4 this upcoming season. He averaged 11 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.0 steals per game for KK Mega Superbet (Serbia) in the Adriatic League last year.
"We'd like to get him here as soon as possible," Pope said. "He's doing great. He's training back home, and I expect him to come in and have a great impact."
Kentucky men's basketball coach Mark Pope speaks to the media during a press conference Monday at Memorial Coliseum. (Keith Taylor/Kentucky Today)
