In the age of transfer portals, hiring has gotten even more complicated. In just a few weeks after assuming the position last year, Mark Pope assembled a formidable team. Pope has put together one of the deepest teams in recent Kentucky basketball history, with 10 new players joining four key returners from the squad that advanced to the Sweet 16 in March. He has more time now and an even more outstanding NIL budget.
Pope clearly places talent at the top of his list of requirements, but fit is just as crucial. Pope discussed how he looks for players who will value Kentucky Basketball’s distinctive culture in his interview with Matt Jones on Kentucky Sports Radio. This is a crucial first step in the recruiting process.
When Jones enquired if he had ever met with a player and realised right away that it probably wouldn’t work out, Pope replied, “That happens.” “This location is very unique. Therefore, it usually occurs that we are a little while in and we think, “Oh, he’s not going to survive here, even though I might love his talent.” Or even if I loved him as a child, his goals just differ from ours. Therefore, that procedure is crucial.
Pope gave the example of Andrija Jelavic. Pope could see even on FaceTime that the Croatian big man was Kentucky material, even though he hasn’t visited Kentucky yet and is currently playing for KK Mega Superbet in Serbia.
Though you never know, I liked Andrija [Jelavic], so that was one of the most crucial aspects of the process. For example, we’ll see how some of those things translate, some of the physicality, and some of the skill set.
However, as we were discussing all of those topics—of which I was ecstatic—I started talking to him on the phone about one particular FaceTime conversation in which I was speaking with him, and you could see him become tearful as he began discussing the prospect of playing at the University of Kentucky. And I think, “That’s it.” Isn’t this our guy? Because he’s not going to miss it.”
Pope uses the word “it” to convey the scope of the Kentucky Basketball experience. His first squad stated repeatedly how fortunate they were to be at Kentucky and how much they enjoyed the experience, proving that they didn’t “miss it.” The feeling was mutual, which will give last year’s squad a special place in program history.
“Yeah, our guys could, for sure [feel the love from the fans]. And I think is as much as I was thrilled about that, I was happy that our players didn’t miss it. Because the scariest thing is like — and this is almost unimaginable to me — you could legitimately come here for a year as a player and miss it. You might miss the entire event.
We frequently discuss this topic with our recruits. You might actually miss the immense uniqueness and the monstrosity that this experience can be if you came here and were only focused on yourself. In fact, you might miss the entire event.
