Kentucky Hiring Mark Pope Was Not The Popular Move, But What Did Fans Expect After Being Turned Down By Others

I know it's been a while since Kentucky fans had to go through a national coaching search for a premier position inside the athletic department, so let's cut them a little slack with the outrage over Mark Pope being hired. 

While some schools are going through transitions every four years, Kentucky had maintained a strong retention record in terms of its head coaches. All the fear of something new came to fruition this past week when John Calipari found his lifeline out of Lexington in the form of the Arkansas job. This was obviously the right move for both parties, with Kentucky fans behind the move, looking forward to what head coach would take over the program next. 

Then came the hard part for fans in the Bluegrass state. There weren't a lot of coaches saying ‘yes’ to the job offer from athletic director Mitch Barnhart. In the span of about three days, Nate Oats, Dan Hurley and Scott Drew all declined the move to Lexington. Oh, and if you're wondering about Billy Donovan, I can promise you Kentucky at least put out a feeler to the Chicago Bulls head coach, but it wasn't the right time. 

Who knows, maybe if Kentucky waited another week to hire a coach and kicked the tires on Donovan one more time, there's a slight chance he would've said yes. But we live in a world where every minute that ticks, some other coach is potentially grabbing the player you wanted out of the portal. 

So, to the angst of the Kentucky fan base, Mitch Barnhart went out and found somebody who would take the job in a heartbeat. From the moment this search began, Mark Pope was a candidate for the job. Sure, he wasn't the first candidate, or second, or even third, but there's only so far you can go before you have to get someone to say yes. 

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Head coach Scott Drew of the Baylor Bears reacts to a play in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament against the Colgate Raiders at FedExForum on March 22. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

This is the situation that Kentucky had in front of them, and it was certainly going to agitate the fans. For the past four days, talks of hiring a high-profile coach with a monster resume and championships to his name were the main components for fans in Lexington. They wanted someone who carried the same weight as John Calipari in the coaching circles, and I don't blame them for being picky, because this is Kentucky. 

But you could obviously tell where this was going late Thursday night when word started leaking that Pope had been officially offered the job. Tweets of disappointment were flying on social media, along with Twitter spaces that felt more like a funeral gathering than a celebration of the school hiring a new coach. 

Fans were pissed, along with a number of boosters who give money every year to either the athletic department or the NIL fund that helps put a roster together. And once again, I can't blame them for being upset, but it's time to come back down to reality. 

Can Mark Pope Be The Guy To Win A Title At Kentucky? 

Sure he can, but this coaching staff will need the full support of the guys who write the checks. Putting together a roster in this new era of college athletics is mostly centered around how much money comes with that scholarship offer. NIL will play a significant role in whether Mark Pope succeeds in Lexington, and he's already getting some support from unorthodox places. 

St. Johns head coach Rick Pitino has already pledged to help Kentucky if they need NIL support, in more of a joking way, but it's still noteworthy. 

"I can assure you, if they need the NIL money, I'll write the check," Pitino told the Alan Cutler Show. 

That would certainly be one interesting way of raising money to buy a roster. But the point is that there will be folks in Lexington that will give whatever is needed to win a title, because at the end of the day they are still fans of Kentucky basketball. 

"Mark Pope not only brings an impressive record in nine years as a head coach, but also a love of the University of Kentucky and a complete understanding of what our program means to the people of our state," AD Mitch Barnhart said. "As a captain on the ‘96 championship team, Mark was a beloved and respected teammate. As a head coach, he is highly regarded nationally as an innovator. His teams run a unique and dynamic up-tempo offense and they get after it on defense. He is a strong recruiter with international ties and a person of integrity.

"He fully embraces our high expectations and standards and I know that as our fans get reacquainted with Mark, they will be eager to join him on what promises to be an exciting ride."

It was almost as if the fan base was partaking in a nationwide cleanse last night after three days of other coaches not accepting the job. Get it out of your system now, because this is the coach you have, and it's not as if you're going to stop cheering for your team. 

OMAHA, Neb. - Head coach Mark Pope of the Brigham Young Cougars looks on during the game against the Duquesne Dukes in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at CHI Health Center on March 21. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

We've also seen this play out at other schools way too many times. Do you think Alabama fans were ecstatic to get Kalen Deboer once he was announced as the new head coach? No, there were fans questioning whether this was the right guy to succeed Nick Saban, and the list could go on and on. 

If Mark Pope surrounds himself with a great coaching staff and enough money to put together a roster that will compete for the SEC next season, the past 24 hours will become a distant memory. One that fans can look back on and laugh about how nervous they were that their coach wasn't Scott Drew or Dan Hurley. 

But while all of this back-and-forth is happening with the fan base, athletic director Mitch Barnhart just made one of the most important hires during his tenure. If Mark Pope fails, then Barnhart will be right behind him on the way out of Lexington. So I wouldn't forget that part, Kentucky fans. 

At the end of day, thousands of fans will gather on Sunday inside Rupp Arena to welcome the newest head coach for the Kentucky Wildcats. There will be fireworks, cheerleaders, rowdy fans of Big Blue Nation and folks acting as if none of the negativity seeped into their bones. 

There will also be Mark Pope, coming back to the place where he won a national championship as a player, looking to build upon the foundation that Calipari left. 

Sure, there will still be a lot of unhappy folks wearing Kentucky gear until they see results on the court. But it took only around twelve hours before some fans started wondering when their season tickets for next year will arrive. 

Welcome back to the rollercoaster that is a coaching search, Kentucky fans.