October 22, 2023 • 12 mins
Doug is joined by BYU Head Coach Mark Pope on his expectations as the Cougars enter their first season in the Big XII, his plan to retain players in the transfer portal era, and which one of his players he thinks will exceed preseason expectations.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
Hey, what a book a bit. I'm Doug Gottlieb. This
is all Ball. Our guest today is Mark Pope, dead
coach of BYU. The Kooks have their first season in
the Big Twelve after coming off almost a decade in
the West Coast Conference, a league in which they've done
well in, but I don't think as well as they
(00:28):
would have liked, especially considering even though BYU has some
limitations in terms of their reach and recruiting, they also
have some benefits, you know. I mean, like Mormon community
is unbelievable in their desire to play basketball, and if
you grow up Mormon Church of Latter day Saints, there's
(00:50):
one place you'd love to play the most. Mark Pope
has an interesting journey to get there. We're gonna at
a later date do the whole Mark Poe, this is
your basketball life sort of thing. In the meantime, I
thought we'd catch up with him a Big Twelve media
day getting ready for this season. And it's interesting because
if you if you look at my phone, Mark Pope's
(01:14):
number is actually the same number as a former assistant
coach at BYU who went on to become a head
coach at UNLV and Dave Rice. I thought that's where
we start. Here's my conversation with BYU head coach Mark Pope.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to
listen live.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
My favorite story in texting coaches is Mark Pope because
what I think. There was a year which I did
thirteen UNOV games in Vegas in Vegas, and every time
I would come in like my because I didn't need
to go to practice the day before, I'd already done
thirteen you know b games, right, So I would literally
(02:06):
be taking off from the airport or land at mccaren
and I would text Dave Rice and say, like, what
time is practiced? Can I come up to the office
And I would get a text back wrong number. This
is Mark Pope because when Dave Rice left UYU, he
left his cell phone number and I had both saved
(02:26):
under Dave Rice and now it text the wrong number.
So Mark Pope joins me in on all ball.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
How are you doing so great man, Doug, great to
be here with you. What what is this like?
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Because I'm a transfer your transfer we've said we experienced it,
but it's so different now because they don't sit out,
so different now because there's the transfer portal, and it's
different for you because your team was in a different conference.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
Now.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
I think we'd all agree stepping up in level of
athleticism and competition, right. So what's it like to and
you have BYU has their own in other parts to
which you have to kind of recruit by and bye
by specific student athletes is going to perform there right
and survive there?
Speaker 3 (03:07):
What is that like to build your roster this year
with all that? It's super complicated and it's I love it.
I actually love every bit of it. But it is
wildly complicated, like it is for everybody right now. You know,
it's you used to kind of have as a coach.
You used to have a four year, five year, six
year BYU would be sometimes seven years of a grid
(03:28):
of your roster that you would plug in pieces and
try to figure out.
Speaker 4 (03:32):
And that was just like you have a one year grid.
That's it and that's what you're working on.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
By US always had that with a weird thing where
you have the grid, but you and then you also
have the guys that are on missions.
Speaker 4 (03:41):
Yes, you have the two blank ears, the blank spots, right.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Yeah, Like, well, we think they're gonna come back and
play for us, but we don't know if they can
play basketball anymore, and we don't know if they want
to play basketball for us anymowhere.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
That's you know, that's why they pay you the big bucks, right.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
So it's what the challenge has given all of us
coaches is like your first job is retention, Like can
you a culture where you can retain the vast mergery
guys so you can build something? Right that ideally is
what is gonna work at BYU if we can, if
we can grow a culture where guys stay and grow
as players, which is the project we're working on this year.
(04:15):
You know, we had three straight years we were ranked
in the top twenty five, and then last year we
were like, we're going to the big toe, We're going
to start young, and then we managed it wasn't our
best season. It was still a really successful season for us,
but we managed to kind of keep all those guys
in the house where we get a year two with
them and hopefully we're gonna be a year three and
a year four and that's going to be part of
(04:36):
our special sauce the way we can build it a
BYU and be a little differ than everybody else. So
constructing this roster is super complicated.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Yeah, it really is. And you know retention again at
other schools is player comes in and says, ll, look
can you do for me in IL? What's it like
at BYU?
Speaker 4 (04:54):
It's it's the same everywhere, but at by it's different,
like because of what we're built on. So, for example,
like we want our student athlete experience at BYU to
be way bigger than basketball. My goal is for all
of it. And just let me finish this statement does
sounds crazy. My goal for every single one of my
guys to play in the NBA. That's my goal for
(05:15):
every guy to play in the NBA. And I want
that to be like the eighth most impressive thing they
do in their life. And so for example, we have
we've been traveling with our guys to Molly to do
foundation work there. We have a kid from Tanzania who
was there with him in the spring helping him with
some of his foundation work. We have guys Trey Stewart
(05:38):
just had his first ever fashion show and he's got
his own company. That's he's contract his own fulfillment. He's
an incredible designer, and it's all focused on mental health.
And so hopefully with the combination of everything that's important,
our guys are building such a big life at BYU
that they're going to stay and they're gonna be hold
(06:00):
that incredible life there. And that's part of the way
we're approaching. And it's not the whole inclusive thing, but
that's a really important part of a way to do.
And it fits by you because at b why you're
supposed to come there, not to just become an NBA player,
to become way more than an NBA player and an
NBA player.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
You know, it's interesting.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
I mean, I grew up going to Mormon church to
play basketball. When I was at ESPN, I was surrounded
by several pillars of the canton More Mormon community, and
it's interesting, Like, I don't know, how long do you
think it takes some of your players, like a Gideon George,
You've had to realize the impact that they make everywhere
(06:41):
you go in that Mormon community.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
Yeah, yeah, so I think it takes some time, but
when they see it, they say it. So I'll give
you giddy George's example. So in the last two years
we did one shoe game a year and Gideon with
the BYU Globe supply chain and Time Out for Africa
partner with Gideon George Helping Hands his foundation and said,
almost seventeen thousand pair of shoes to men in Nigeria's
(07:06):
hometown and seventeen thousand And that's not just a hoop
that that's actually the number one cause of spread of
disease among youth in Nigeria is through their feet because
they s get cuts and that's the number and so
he's actually saving lives that are doing that. And so
what's super cool is in two weeks now, having graduated,
he is still tapping into Ba Fambius. We have a
(07:28):
guinea in George Helping Hands Foundation's shoe drive two weeks
from now in Provo, Utah because this is not just
while he's in college. This is going to be for
the rest of his life. And that's what we're trying
to do. We're trying to build big lives at bau.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Maritt Center's pretty cool, right over four thousand people right
on top of you. It's interesting right that you when
the schedule comes out, and I know before the schedule
came out, you guys got the who you played home
versus road, And I'm sure there's lots of fans like, we.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Want to go to Lawrence and we want to go
to eight. No you don't, no, no.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
You know where are you most excited about taking the
Cooks this year?
Speaker 4 (08:01):
Oh? My gosh?
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Everywhere?
Speaker 4 (08:02):
I mean come on, like it's uh, you don't get
to go everywhere this Yeah, it's every other year. So clearly,
you know, Kansas is one of the legendary venues, uh
in college basketball. We're super excited to go there, but
every like that's this league. It's the number one a
tennis league in the country. Like everyone in this league
has a fan base like I've been. You know, we
(08:23):
went took it to BYU tam when I was assistant
and played at hill And Coliseum. That's an unbelievable environment, right,
it's really special, you know, you know we played at Oklahoma, Oklahoma.
We played at Houston my first year and won on
a last second buzzer beater. And it's sold out because
it's always sold out. Like that's an incredible event.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
And crazy because you go back ten years ago yeah.
Like literally you could walk up sit front row.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
What Kelvin has done there, Like it's mind boggling what
he's done, Like he is. I mean, I don't know
if he's on the Mount Rushmore of current college basketball coaches,
but how would he not be with what he's done, Like,
he's incredible and his tenure has been unbelievable. Every venue
is great and special. And what's the is Like I
think about you guys joint in Stillwater, Like what incredible
(09:12):
history and then what a unique gym setting? Like come on, man,
this league is special.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Last thing, because I know you gotta run. Give me
somebody who's in these first three weeks of practice and
obviously in some of the workouts he's impressed you to
the level of you read the previews and they're like, well,
this guy has not called me because he doesn't know
how well he's playing.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
We have a chance for in Dawson Baker from you
Shervine a great program, Rust has an incredible job there
and play a bunch and Dawson has been a three
year super productive, one of the most productive guys on
the West Coast. He got a chance. Now I have
a bunch of great players, but he's been the new
piece where I'm like, whoa, this dude can actually do
some things that I'm excited about.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
And it's interesting, right because you see him. Obviously the
Eaters have been good, they're they're well coached, but you
see him in the portal. Yep, how long before you know, wait,
better than we thought? Or yeah, how long does that take?
Speaker 4 (10:06):
Well, you know he came in, he was he was
dealing with a foot issue, so we didn't get to
see him play for the first six weeks or so,
and so he was kind of late in coming. He
didn't actually play on our foreign tour, and so it's
really has just been in September and in October, I've
been like, oh man, this dude got a little burst
that I did. I didn't know he had this little
burst and he got a little nasty toughness to him
that I dig like, he's not scared. I'll tell you
a quick story about Dawston. I love. So we're recruiting Dawson,
(10:29):
and Dawson has been a starter and he's a he's
a the Z piece on that program and so you know,
here he has roll into his last two years and
he's like I have a safe place where I know
that I'm going to get to do everything here. I'm
being recruited by great programs that maybe have a space
built in for me. And then with us, we have
some quality wings, you know, combo guard wings that he's
(10:50):
coming in and there's some players there, and so that
was a consideration early on. And then when he finally
could be called me because we had had the conversation,
He's like, you know, a coach, I don't care. I'm coming.
I'm gonna come win my time. I'm gonna come earn
it and win it. I'm not scared. And I'm like,
who is this kid? Let's go a guy that's not
looking for the easy road. Those dudes win man. And
I think this kid's all winner. I think he's gonna
(11:12):
our guys love him. I think he's gonna really help
us all.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Right, within the within the time that you have. I
want to do it, Mark Pope, this is kind of
your life on all ball when you have time.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
Yeah, come on, let's go.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
I'd love it.
Speaker 4 (11:23):
In the meeting, in the meeting, come, I'm a huge fan.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Heres, come on, it does go.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
The feeling feeling is virtual in the meantime, thanks so
much for joining me.
Speaker 4 (11:30):
I appreciate you, brother.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
That's it for this edition of All Ball. Thought you'd
like that Popes are great, dude, and by you, a
talented team with probably the highest recipitius rate in the league.
Everyone else trying to search for other players. Many teams
adding seven to nine players not so would be why
you will see if it pays off with it for
(11:53):
them in your one in the Big twelve. Reminded, the
Doug Gottlieb Show is daily daily three to five Eastern time,
twelve to two Pacific, and of course we have the
end the Bonus podcast with the daily pod covering all
college sports in the meantime. Thanks so much for listening.
I'm Doug gatlie This is All Ball.
Hey, what a book a bit. I'm Doug Gottlieb. This
is all Ball. Our guest today is Mark Pope, dead
coach of BYU. The Kooks have their first season in
the Big Twelve after coming off almost a decade in
the West Coast Conference, a league in which they've done
well in, but I don't think as well as they
(00:28):
would have liked, especially considering even though BYU has some
limitations in terms of their reach and recruiting, they also
have some benefits, you know. I mean, like Mormon community
is unbelievable in their desire to play basketball, and if
you grow up Mormon Church of Latter day Saints, there's
(00:50):
one place you'd love to play the most. Mark Pope
has an interesting journey to get there. We're gonna at
a later date do the whole Mark Poe, this is
your basketball life sort of thing. In the meantime, I
thought we'd catch up with him a Big Twelve media
day getting ready for this season. And it's interesting because
if you if you look at my phone, Mark Pope's
(01:14):
number is actually the same number as a former assistant
coach at BYU who went on to become a head
coach at UNLV and Dave Rice. I thought that's where
we start. Here's my conversation with BYU head coach Mark Pope.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to
listen live.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
My favorite story in texting coaches is Mark Pope because
what I think. There was a year which I did
thirteen UNOV games in Vegas in Vegas, and every time
I would come in like my because I didn't need
to go to practice the day before, I'd already done
thirteen you know b games, right, So I would literally
(02:06):
be taking off from the airport or land at mccaren
and I would text Dave Rice and say, like, what
time is practiced? Can I come up to the office
And I would get a text back wrong number. This
is Mark Pope because when Dave Rice left UYU, he
left his cell phone number and I had both saved
(02:26):
under Dave Rice and now it text the wrong number.
So Mark Pope joins me in on all ball.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
How are you doing so great man, Doug, great to
be here with you. What what is this like?
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Because I'm a transfer your transfer we've said we experienced it,
but it's so different now because they don't sit out,
so different now because there's the transfer portal, and it's
different for you because your team was in a different conference.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
Now.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
I think we'd all agree stepping up in level of
athleticism and competition, right. So what's it like to and
you have BYU has their own in other parts to
which you have to kind of recruit by and bye
by specific student athletes is going to perform there right
and survive there?
Speaker 3 (03:07):
What is that like to build your roster this year
with all that? It's super complicated and it's I love it.
I actually love every bit of it. But it is
wildly complicated, like it is for everybody right now. You know,
it's you used to kind of have as a coach.
You used to have a four year, five year, six
year BYU would be sometimes seven years of a grid
(03:28):
of your roster that you would plug in pieces and
try to figure out.
Speaker 4 (03:32):
And that was just like you have a one year grid.
That's it and that's what you're working on.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
By US always had that with a weird thing where
you have the grid, but you and then you also
have the guys that are on missions.
Speaker 4 (03:41):
Yes, you have the two blank ears, the blank spots, right.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Yeah, Like, well, we think they're gonna come back and
play for us, but we don't know if they can
play basketball anymore, and we don't know if they want
to play basketball for us anymowhere.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
That's you know, that's why they pay you the big bucks, right.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
So it's what the challenge has given all of us
coaches is like your first job is retention, Like can
you a culture where you can retain the vast mergery
guys so you can build something? Right that ideally is
what is gonna work at BYU if we can, if
we can grow a culture where guys stay and grow
as players, which is the project we're working on this year.
(04:15):
You know, we had three straight years we were ranked
in the top twenty five, and then last year we
were like, we're going to the big toe, We're going
to start young, and then we managed it wasn't our
best season. It was still a really successful season for us,
but we managed to kind of keep all those guys
in the house where we get a year two with
them and hopefully we're gonna be a year three and
a year four and that's going to be part of
(04:36):
our special sauce the way we can build it a
BYU and be a little differ than everybody else. So
constructing this roster is super complicated.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Yeah, it really is. And you know retention again at
other schools is player comes in and says, ll, look
can you do for me in IL? What's it like
at BYU?
Speaker 4 (04:54):
It's it's the same everywhere, but at by it's different,
like because of what we're built on. So, for example,
like we want our student athlete experience at BYU to
be way bigger than basketball. My goal is for all
of it. And just let me finish this statement does
sounds crazy. My goal for every single one of my
guys to play in the NBA. That's my goal for
(05:15):
every guy to play in the NBA. And I want
that to be like the eighth most impressive thing they
do in their life. And so for example, we have
we've been traveling with our guys to Molly to do
foundation work there. We have a kid from Tanzania who
was there with him in the spring helping him with
some of his foundation work. We have guys Trey Stewart
(05:38):
just had his first ever fashion show and he's got
his own company. That's he's contract his own fulfillment. He's
an incredible designer, and it's all focused on mental health.
And so hopefully with the combination of everything that's important,
our guys are building such a big life at BYU
that they're going to stay and they're gonna be hold
(06:00):
that incredible life there. And that's part of the way
we're approaching. And it's not the whole inclusive thing, but
that's a really important part of a way to do.
And it fits by you because at b why you're
supposed to come there, not to just become an NBA player,
to become way more than an NBA player and an
NBA player.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
You know, it's interesting.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
I mean, I grew up going to Mormon church to
play basketball. When I was at ESPN, I was surrounded
by several pillars of the canton More Mormon community, and
it's interesting, Like, I don't know, how long do you
think it takes some of your players, like a Gideon George,
You've had to realize the impact that they make everywhere
(06:41):
you go in that Mormon community.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
Yeah, yeah, so I think it takes some time, but
when they see it, they say it. So I'll give
you giddy George's example. So in the last two years
we did one shoe game a year and Gideon with
the BYU Globe supply chain and Time Out for Africa
partner with Gideon George Helping Hands his foundation and said,
almost seventeen thousand pair of shoes to men in Nigeria's
(07:06):
hometown and seventeen thousand And that's not just a hoop
that that's actually the number one cause of spread of
disease among youth in Nigeria is through their feet because
they s get cuts and that's the number and so
he's actually saving lives that are doing that. And so
what's super cool is in two weeks now, having graduated,
he is still tapping into Ba Fambius. We have a
(07:28):
guinea in George Helping Hands Foundation's shoe drive two weeks
from now in Provo, Utah because this is not just
while he's in college. This is going to be for
the rest of his life. And that's what we're trying
to do. We're trying to build big lives at bau.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Maritt Center's pretty cool, right over four thousand people right
on top of you. It's interesting right that you when
the schedule comes out, and I know before the schedule
came out, you guys got the who you played home
versus road, And I'm sure there's lots of fans like, we.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Want to go to Lawrence and we want to go
to eight. No you don't, no, no.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
You know where are you most excited about taking the
Cooks this year?
Speaker 4 (08:01):
Oh? My gosh?
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Everywhere?
Speaker 4 (08:02):
I mean come on, like it's uh, you don't get
to go everywhere this Yeah, it's every other year. So clearly,
you know, Kansas is one of the legendary venues, uh
in college basketball. We're super excited to go there, but
every like that's this league. It's the number one a
tennis league in the country. Like everyone in this league
has a fan base like I've been. You know, we
(08:23):
went took it to BYU tam when I was assistant
and played at hill And Coliseum. That's an unbelievable environment, right,
it's really special, you know, you know we played at Oklahoma, Oklahoma.
We played at Houston my first year and won on
a last second buzzer beater. And it's sold out because
it's always sold out. Like that's an incredible event.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
And crazy because you go back ten years ago yeah.
Like literally you could walk up sit front row.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
What Kelvin has done there, Like it's mind boggling what
he's done, Like he is. I mean, I don't know
if he's on the Mount Rushmore of current college basketball coaches,
but how would he not be with what he's done, Like,
he's incredible and his tenure has been unbelievable. Every venue
is great and special. And what's the is Like I
think about you guys joint in Stillwater, Like what incredible
(09:12):
history and then what a unique gym setting? Like come on, man,
this league is special.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Last thing, because I know you gotta run. Give me
somebody who's in these first three weeks of practice and
obviously in some of the workouts he's impressed you to
the level of you read the previews and they're like, well,
this guy has not called me because he doesn't know
how well he's playing.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
We have a chance for in Dawson Baker from you
Shervine a great program, Rust has an incredible job there
and play a bunch and Dawson has been a three
year super productive, one of the most productive guys on
the West Coast. He got a chance. Now I have
a bunch of great players, but he's been the new
piece where I'm like, whoa, this dude can actually do
some things that I'm excited about.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
And it's interesting, right because you see him. Obviously the
Eaters have been good, they're they're well coached, but you
see him in the portal. Yep, how long before you know, wait,
better than we thought? Or yeah, how long does that take?
Speaker 4 (10:06):
Well, you know he came in, he was he was
dealing with a foot issue, so we didn't get to
see him play for the first six weeks or so,
and so he was kind of late in coming. He
didn't actually play on our foreign tour, and so it's
really has just been in September and in October, I've
been like, oh man, this dude got a little burst
that I did. I didn't know he had this little
burst and he got a little nasty toughness to him
that I dig like, he's not scared. I'll tell you
a quick story about Dawston. I love. So we're recruiting Dawson,
(10:29):
and Dawson has been a starter and he's a he's
a the Z piece on that program and so you know,
here he has roll into his last two years and
he's like I have a safe place where I know
that I'm going to get to do everything here. I'm
being recruited by great programs that maybe have a space
built in for me. And then with us, we have
some quality wings, you know, combo guard wings that he's
(10:50):
coming in and there's some players there, and so that
was a consideration early on. And then when he finally
could be called me because we had had the conversation,
He's like, you know, a coach, I don't care. I'm coming.
I'm gonna come win my time. I'm gonna come earn
it and win it. I'm not scared. And I'm like,
who is this kid? Let's go a guy that's not
looking for the easy road. Those dudes win man. And
I think this kid's all winner. I think he's gonna
(11:12):
our guys love him. I think he's gonna really help
us all.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Right, within the within the time that you have. I
want to do it, Mark Pope, this is kind of
your life on all ball when you have time.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
Yeah, come on, let's go.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
I'd love it.
Speaker 4 (11:23):
In the meeting, in the meeting, come, I'm a huge fan.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Heres, come on, it does go.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
The feeling feeling is virtual in the meantime, thanks so
much for joining me.
Speaker 4 (11:30):
I appreciate you, brother.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
That's it for this edition of All Ball. Thought you'd
like that Popes are great, dude, and by you, a
talented team with probably the highest recipitius rate in the league.
Everyone else trying to search for other players. Many teams
adding seven to nine players not so would be why
you will see if it pays off with it for
(11:53):
them in your one in the Big twelve. Reminded, the
Doug Gottlieb Show is daily daily three to five Eastern time,
twelve to two Pacific, and of course we have the
end the Bonus podcast with the daily pod covering all
college sports in the meantime. Thanks so much for listening.
I'm Doug gatlie This is All Ball.
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