Kentucky is set to contract BYU coach Check Pope to ended up its following men’s ball coach, sources told CBS Sports. The two sides rapidly engaged on Thursday evening, within the hours after Baylor’s Scott Drew and UConn’s Dan Hurley both turned down Kentucky’s suggestions. Excepting an unanticipated occasion that changes plans, Kentucky is pacing toward getting an assention on paper with Pope some time recently the conclusion of Thursday night, a source said.
Pope has been advertised a five-year bargain at an normal of $5.5 million per season, some time recently motivations, sources said. Pope is balanced to supplant John Calipari, who on Tuesday authoritatively cleared out for Arkansas after 15 a long time in Lexington.
The choose was not the self-evident or anticipated one, indeed as late as Thursday evening. That’s on account of Kentucky’s historical standing within the wear.
Pope could be a Kentucky former student, in any case. He played on the renowned worldwide 1995-96 championship group and has long pined for an opportunity to one day return to his alma mater. He has nine a long time of head coaching involvement in D-I:
four at Utah Valley, the past five at BYU. His career record is 187-108, with a 110-52 stamp at BYU. Pope is 0-2 all time within the NCAA Competition. He guided the Cougars to a No. 6 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament but fell in the primary circular to Duquesne.
Pope won out over other hot names, counting Billy Donovan and Rick Pitino. Sources told CBS Sports that, in spite of Pitino and Donovan being buzzy names connected to Kentucky as potential candidates, not one or the other were forcefully sought after by UK athletic executive Mitch Barnhart. The occasion that opened the entryway all the way for Pope was when Hurley absolutely signaled he wasn’t an option.
The 51-year-old Pope could be a high-energy contract who had the backing and back of a few previous players, in expansion to being Barnhart’s favored choice in his secondary candidate list. Pope runs a fun framework on the floor; his BYU groups wrapped up top-20 at KenPom in three of his five seasons there. He updated his program methodology and hostile reasoning this past season as well, which driven to 23 wins and a top-15 offense in college ball.
Pope would connect Joe B. Corridor as the as it were men’s basketball coaches — dating back to Lobby of Famer Adolph Rupp in 1930 — to play for Kentucky and go on to coach the program. For Pope, it’s a genuine dream work circumstance. An official declaration is expected Friday, once Barnhart signs off on the contract.
