UK HealthCare Mark Pope Show November 25th 2024

Hosted by the Voice of the Wildcats, Tom Leach. Coach Pope will take questions via X (@UKSportsNetwork) or Facebook.The show is broadcast in Lexington on 630 WLAP, online at UKathletics.com, on UK Sports Network affiliates, on the Kentucky men’s basketball Facebook page, and through the UK Athletics app.Fans can also download the show as a podcast through iTunes, Spotify and iHeart by searching “UK Sports Network Radio.” Additionally, you can locate the podcast at UKAthletics.com/audio.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:26):
There is nowhere in the world.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Un Let's apply, yes, man, come on, stand happen.

Speaker 3 (00:35):
Let's go back, coming into the rarest tradition in mystery
of basketball Mom to Kentucky retakes the league did it?

Speaker 2 (00:47):
Little mission.

Speaker 1 (00:50):
Free ball MAXI don't count the bucket drive count? What
makes us.

Speaker 4 (00:54):
Different than everybody else?

Speaker 5 (00:56):
Is you?

Speaker 6 (00:56):
All from the u K's for Network. This is the
UK Healthcare Mark Pope Show. To talk to Coach Pope
called the Clark's Pumpin' Shop phone line at eight five
nine two eight zero Cats A's eight five nine two
eight zero two two eight seven or statewide at one
eight hundred and six oh six game that's one eight

(01:19):
hundred and six oh six four two sixty three, or
you can tweet questions to at UK sports Network fort Kiptuki.
The UK Healthcare Mark Pope Show begins now. Alongside the coach,
here's the voice of the Cats, Tom Leach.

Speaker 2 (01:43):
Welcome in to the second UK Healthcare Mark Pope Show.

Speaker 7 (01:47):
We had one back in the spring after he was hired,
but this is the first one with wins under his belt.
As the Cats went to five and zero on Friday night,
beating Jackson State in the Unity Classic, knocking down seventeen
threes in the victory at rapp Aarena, and they'll be
back on the court at RUP tomorrow night against the
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers seven o'clock Eastern time. Tip that means coverage.

(02:09):
We'll start with countdown to tip off with David Cameron
at five thirty Eastern time. We'll come back and chat
with Coach Pope and then we'll have a lot of
opportunity for your questions. You can reach us on the
Clark's Pumping Shop phone line. You can post questions at
UK Sports Network on x or Twitter if you prefer,
and you can go to the Kentucky Basketball Facebook page.

(02:29):
This is the UK Sports Network.

Speaker 6 (02:34):
You are listening to the UK Healthcare Mark Pope Show
on the UK Sports Network. The Mark Pope Show is
brought to you by Coca Cola, Appalachian Regional Healthcare, Little
Caesars and buy UK Healthcare.

Speaker 4 (02:49):
Tell me Who's in the house tonight, UK.

Speaker 8 (02:55):
Fight every single day for every single one.

Speaker 6 (03:00):
The Mark Pope Collins Show is brought to you locally
in Lexington by Baptist Health, Chick fil A, Skyline Chili
and buy Toyota.

Speaker 4 (03:12):
Beautiful of fifty God.

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Go there.

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Catch the wild Cats in Lexington all season long on
your home for Kentucky basketball the UK Sports Network.

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The Big Blue Dream is alive and well, and you
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Speaker 7 (05:40):
Marrow Night's Kentucky Western Kentucky Games, presented by the Kentucky
Department of Tourism. Come Kentucky, come see for yourself, and
we are joined by the coach Mark Pope. First one
of these on Monday nights in season. Will be here
regularly well a Wednesday next week. But things are going
pretty well.

Speaker 2 (06:00):
How could they not be.

Speaker 8 (06:01):
We get to sit here at Malons, like, this place
is so fantastic, Yes it is. The food is ridiculous.
When you come here, what is your go to?

Speaker 13 (06:10):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (06:10):
The stakes are fantastic.

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Yeah, So it's it's been like a second home to us.

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Now.

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We love it here.

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So although the sailing is really good, the fact that
we get to do this radio station here, the radio
show here is pretty special.

Speaker 7 (06:21):
Yes, it is, and we'll get to your We're gonna
do a quick chat here with the coach pope and
we'll get to plenty of your questions. So go ahead
and jump on the Clark's Pumping Shop phone line or
you can send them in at.

Speaker 2 (06:33):
UK Sports Network.

Speaker 7 (06:35):
I think I mentioned this to you or not have
set it on the ear the Lipscomb game last week.
One of their coaches I was chatting with before the game,
and he had grown up in Kentucky, I think, and
he said the thing that had amazed them as they
prepared to play you was how well in the short
amount of time you guys were sharing the ball and
playing together so well. And I know the assistant total

(06:58):
was off the charts again on Friday night. But that
has been certainly no fun for everybody to watch, and
I'm sure that's the same for you.

Speaker 8 (07:06):
Yeah, And that's that's a constant work in progress, right.
It's something that we address every day and we talk
about every day, and it's not something that you kind
of check off the list and are done with, right.
That's something that we're trying to get better at every
day and trying to believe in more and every day,
and it takes a lot from our guys. It takes
a ton of faith and a ton of trust and

(07:27):
a ton of love to play that way. But when
you play that way, the end result is really beautiful,
and it's beautiful for all of our guys, and the
more experience they get doing it, the more they believe,
and the more we hold on to it.

Speaker 7 (07:37):
Seems like about everybody in the SEC is ranked in
the latest top twenty five. So it's a loaded league
and you got not a month of games before you'll
move to that phase. So what is on the do
better list right now after five.

Speaker 2 (07:50):
Games for you?

Speaker 13 (07:51):
There's so much.

Speaker 8 (07:53):
There's not a lot that's not on the do better
list right now, which is the way it should be.
You know, we'd like to be you know, we got
exposed a couple times against Jackson State with our transition defense,
especially second transition opportunities, kind of back to back transition opportunities.

Speaker 13 (08:09):
We'd like to.

Speaker 8 (08:10):
Be better there. We're still working and we will be
all season long at our defensive integrity and communication on
the defensive ends. An it's part of part of the
game that you can do one time. The question is
can you do it every single time? Can your reads
and your calls and your rotations beyond time every single time?

(08:31):
So it's gone from a place where there are less
questions and it's more like, can we execute it a
higher percentage of time every single time? And I mean
we could keep going down that list for days on
the ways we can get better. But that's the exciting
part of this, right is that every day the goals
get better. Our guys today before practice each had one

(08:53):
very specific thing that they were going to try and
do today in practice and get better at. And and
when you approach approach learning the game that way, it's
pretty effective. It increases your your development exponentially.

Speaker 7 (09:05):
From the analytic standpoint of the analytics, I know you
think have said at least twenty games before the data
is meaningful in a forty game college season. But is
there anything that's showing up yet that's surprised you? It
all challenged any thoughts you had.

Speaker 8 (09:21):
No, I don't think there's been a lot of surprises
for us so far. You know, we kind of know
this style of play and we're trying to grow it
and trying to get better. And I think we were
pretty good at projecting out. Some of the challenges that
will face is as competition level increases and is you know,
we get through the season and and more people familiar

(09:42):
with us and our personnel and how we do things,
and you're dealing with more extensive scouts that just have
more background.

Speaker 13 (09:49):
And beef to them.

Speaker 8 (09:50):
And so I think it's been you know, so far,
we feel like we have a decent picture of kind
of who we are and who we're trying to be.

Speaker 7 (09:59):
Speak of numbers one I was looking at today and
preparing for tomorrow night. I can't imagine there are many
five men in the country that have something like a
five to one assistant turnover ratio like Brandon Garrison does.

Speaker 13 (10:10):
Yeah, that's super cool.

Speaker 8 (10:11):
So Beiji was underwater last year and assist a turnover
racio really and right now is a four point twenty
five to one, which is just such an incredible credit
to him. It's a credit to Amari who is mentoring
him through this process and helping him grow and and
it's a it's a tribute to playing against guys like

(10:32):
Amari and Otega and Jack's with his length, and Andrew
Carr with his length, and Lamont every single day where
he's he's you know, when you play against great players,
it helps you find tune skills, and certainly those guys
defensively are helping him be really responsible with Baul.

Speaker 13 (10:47):
And then it's a huge credit to Michael McLain, who.

Speaker 8 (10:50):
Is is an unbelievably talented, diligent, disciplined, great communicating, big hearted, inspiring.
How about that list assistant coach on our staff who
is going to be a superstar in this game, and
he's you know, he's he's dealing with our two five
men every single day. He also oversees all of our

(11:10):
player development. But he's doing a tremendous job and he's
got to be so proud of that four point twenty
five because that's a that's a massive, massive number for
a young player where we put so much playmaking responsibility
on his shoulders at his position in Brandy Garrison.

Speaker 7 (11:27):
Watch BBN Tonight presented by UK Healthcare weeknights at seven
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can also watch archived shows at bbntnight dot com. We'll
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Speaker 7 (14:52):
Make sure you've subscribed to the Behind Kentucky Basketball podcast.
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Athletics app. I gotta ask you one more analytics question
then we'll get right to some callers, because I saw
a clip on Facebook today.

Speaker 2 (15:11):
I'm assuming this was.

Speaker 7 (15:11):
Maybe from some kind of coaching clinic, but you had
restaurant analytics you were talking about.

Speaker 8 (15:17):
Yeah, how good is that? Actually I learned that from
the great Bruce Drake. Actually, ah, so I was here
with BHG. They were doing a summit which was incredible
actually talk about a really special organization and they had
I don't remember if they had done the research themselves
or they had been reported in the restaurant industry, but

(15:38):
it blew my mind and it was so fantastic, and
we've actually talked about it as a staff a lot.
It was a great story in recruiting actually. But it
was something like this. If a husband and wife come
to a restaurant and they have a meal that's pretty flawless.
It's just a nice, enjoyable night, there's no real drama.
They come in, they eat the food's they go home.

(16:01):
There's like a sixty give or take sixty three sixty
four percent chance that they actually return to come eat again.

Speaker 13 (16:08):
Flip that.

Speaker 8 (16:09):
If they come to a restaurant and they have their
meal and something goes significantly wrong where food has to
be replaced, or where something breaks, or I don't know anything,
but something significantly wrong that could be upsetting during the
course that our meal, if the staff goes way above

(16:30):
and beyond out of their way to fix it to
make it better, there's give or take, Like I don't
know what, it was an eighty eight percent chance that
that couple would come back to eat at the same restaurant,
which when you think about it.

Speaker 13 (16:45):
It actually makes all the sense of the world.

Speaker 2 (16:46):
They really care.

Speaker 13 (16:47):
Yeah, and you and.

Speaker 8 (16:48):
And through adversity you develop a significant amount of trust,
has a chance to grow in that situation where you
definitely want to come back because in case number two,
you know that if it's not a perfect easy night,
if something goes wrong, you know that they're gonna break
their back to take care of you. You're like, I
want to go back there. It's family. It actually makes

(17:10):
so much sense. So in recruiting now, we've actually talked
as a staff sometimes about like, hey, maybe we should.

Speaker 13 (17:15):
Plan for something.

Speaker 4 (17:17):
To go wrong just so we can show how.

Speaker 13 (17:20):
Earnestly we are to fix it. Now, we haven't actually done.

Speaker 8 (17:23):
That yet, but I think the thinking is real, and
it's an unbelievable example for us to recognize that it's
not actually if things go perfectly or if they go poorly,
it's all about how we respond to it.

Speaker 13 (17:37):
And that's something that we preach our players every single day.

Speaker 8 (17:40):
That we've preached our players every single day for the
last several years. It's just like this game only wants
to know how you're gonna respond. And I thought that
was a really brilliant example and it's a tribute to
BHG that they're doing that type of research and that
they care that much.

Speaker 7 (17:55):
Yeah, it was a really interesting story. I just kind
of stumbled onto it on Facebook this afternoon. Let's get
right to the calls on the Clark's Pumping Shop phone line. Ron,
you will beat in the lead off spot.

Speaker 2 (18:05):
What do you have? How you guys doing doing well? Oh?
This is Ron who grew up in Tennessee.

Speaker 13 (18:12):
I believe right, Yes, Ra Mercer?

Speaker 20 (18:18):
Is this it is?

Speaker 21 (18:19):
Yes?

Speaker 13 (18:20):
Ron one is up Man.

Speaker 2 (18:22):
Not much man, Just glad to come on the show today.

Speaker 13 (18:25):
Hey, you should be here in person.

Speaker 22 (18:28):
Maybe next time.

Speaker 8 (18:31):
This is the Leger Ron Mercer right now, brother, I'm
so happy to talk to you.

Speaker 22 (18:36):
All good, all good. How you doing Mark?

Speaker 8 (18:40):
It's so good, man, It's so good. It was so
fun to have you out here several weeks ago up.
So appreciate you coming.

Speaker 22 (18:47):
Oh, no problem, man, I had a blast. I brought
my son, brought some friends and uh and really enjoy
watching the team play, watching you coach Man, and I'm
very excited to watch this team throughout the year. It's
very exciting to watch and the way you guys play.

Speaker 8 (19:02):
Hey, Ron, who when you think about this team. Who
who do you look at out there and be like, ooh,
you know what, Like there's a little tiny shade of
Ron Mercer. Is there anyone on the team that's like, oh,
there's a little bit there.

Speaker 13 (19:16):
Uh, you know what?

Speaker 22 (19:17):
In a different way, I can see, uh see a
little bit of Jackson Robinson, and I see a little
bit of Kobe. And the reason why I say Kobe
not that I shoot as well as he.

Speaker 13 (19:31):
Does, not a come on out, don't sleep, now shoot it.

Speaker 22 (19:36):
But he's a great three point shooter, but I like
how he comes off the bench. And the reason I
say that is Mark. I know you remember, but my
during my freshman year, I started the first eleven and
twelve games, and then coach he wanted me to come
off the bench, and I served better by coming off
the bench. At that time, that's what the that's what

(19:56):
the team needed, and later on as I developed, that
ended up helping me as an individual and helping the team.
And I see Kobe doing similar things and that way
of coming off the bench. Because in your system, it
doesn't matter whether you start, whether you come off the bench,
everybody's going to get an opportunity. So for someone like him.

(20:19):
I see that. I see a little bit of myself
in that in that situation by him coming off the bench.

Speaker 13 (20:23):
Yeah, that's I love that you said that.

Speaker 23 (20:26):
Ryan.

Speaker 8 (20:27):
I think I told you soon you're here. But I've
told the guys on the team this story so many times.
So Ron Mercy, if you guys remember his freshman year,
he was he was the most herald of player in
the country coming in for sure, and and came in
and was playing a solid role throughout the course of
the season, maybe not quite the role that he anticipated
when he got here, but just kept.

Speaker 13 (20:47):
Hammering away and hammer away and hammer away.

Speaker 8 (20:50):
And by the time we got to the to the
instab A tournament, he turned out to be the you know,
if not the best player in the country, one of
the top players in the country. I think in the
National Championship game put down to solid eighteen and was
a difference maker in that game.

Speaker 13 (21:03):
And just your.

Speaker 8 (21:06):
Focus and your patience and your willingness to keep coming
hacking away, and it was so priceless and it's an
incredible example for our guys.

Speaker 13 (21:15):
I love it.

Speaker 22 (21:15):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I appreciate that. I see a lot
of similarities on this team where different guys could Who's
going to have opportunities to step up throughout the year
because you got the depth you guys have, So it's
very exciting to watch.

Speaker 13 (21:29):
Let me ask you this.

Speaker 8 (21:30):
So the last game, Kobe was on fire and he
knocked down a three right in front of our bench
in the corner.

Speaker 13 (21:37):
I was standing right in the corner.

Speaker 8 (21:39):
Literally, I was standing six inches away from He banged
the three and turned around and started backpedaling down the court.

Speaker 13 (21:45):
Talking smack to me like he was talking trash to me.

Speaker 8 (21:50):
And so my question is, did you ever envision doing
that after you banged a corner three with Coach Patino
as you ran out of the floor.

Speaker 22 (21:58):
Oh no, not at all. I wouldn't think about looking
over that way. Oh no, not at all. I wasn't
there whenever he called my name, I was still looking
the other way because I knew I messed up somewhere
on here. I definitely wouldn't do a coach p that way.

Speaker 2 (22:16):
That is good stuff.

Speaker 24 (22:17):
Ry.

Speaker 7 (22:18):
I appreciate you jumping on here with us. I know
Mark does too, and PULL look forward to seeing you again.

Speaker 22 (22:23):
It Rup, thank you, I appreciate it. I will be
the more games I appreciate you guys.

Speaker 13 (22:28):
So much love for you brother, Thanks Bub That is
Ron Mercer.

Speaker 7 (22:31):
And of course the next year after you had moved on,
it was the AirPair Him and Da.

Speaker 8 (22:37):
My goodness, they were putting on a show every night,
every night.

Speaker 7 (22:41):
Yes, we need to get to a break. It's the
UK Healthcare Mark Pope Show. We'll be right back on
the UK Sports Network.

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It begins at five Eastern time, five thirty Eastern time tomorrow.
Would it seven o'clock Eastern time? Tips A five thirty
Eastern time or count down to tip off tomorrow? All right,
we have a question from right here in the audience

(25:19):
of our group of us that are with us here tonight.
So we're gonna take a question here for coach Pope
in just a second to talk about to listen to
a question here from Fielding.

Speaker 2 (25:34):
So Fielding, what do you have for the coach?

Speaker 30 (25:37):
Hey, coach glad you're at UK again, Thank you so much.
As we entered the season and start getting towards the
tournament time, what do you think is more important our
offensive matrix or our defense.

Speaker 8 (25:52):
Yeah, you know, it's it's such an interesting question because
they both feed each other so well.

Speaker 13 (25:58):
I think probably the most important thing for us is that.

Speaker 8 (26:02):
Interestingly, so you know, basketball very different than a lot
of sports. The same five guys are playing offense, the
same five guys are playing defense, and there's no real
it's hard to separate them. For example, the beginning of
our transition defense is offensive rebounding right, and and and
so they're so fully integrated. I think for us, the

(26:24):
most important thing is that is that whatever's happening on offense,
that it doesn't affect our energy on the defensive end.
And at the same time, whatever's happening on defense doesn't
interfere with our energy on the offensive end. That's probably
the place where we spend most of our time living.
We don't want frustration with the defense and to carry
over to offense and vice versa. If we're missing shots

(26:48):
for a little segment of a game, we don't want
that to carry over any energy onto the defensive end.
And so energy wise, keeping those two sides of all
really really separate. But statistically, in degrading those two sides
of the ball is kind of the like little soup fleet.

Speaker 13 (27:05):
That's super important.

Speaker 30 (27:06):
Well, my second question was I was going to ask
who would you prefer to be on this team? Ron Mercer,
Antoine Walker, but I know who you had answer since
he's listening. So on the current team, what player do
you feel like you cannot do without?

Speaker 8 (27:24):
Wow, Well, it's hard for me to imagine doing any
of this without any of our guys. I know that's
a terrible answer. I wish i'd give you something more
scandalous or controversial in that, But the truth is, like
these pieces fit together really beautifully.

Speaker 13 (27:42):
I'll give you an example.

Speaker 8 (27:46):
Trent Noah is playing less minutes than most of the
guys on the team, but we actually don't function very
well without him. He's an invaluable part of our team.

Speaker 13 (27:56):
We can't get through practices without him. You know, he was.

Speaker 8 (28:00):
He was one of the two star players in our
scout team as we prepared for Duke, and he actually
was a perfect, perfect simulation of what we were looking at.
I can't actually think of a player that would have
been a better simulator of what we're about to face
in the Duke game.

Speaker 23 (28:15):
And so.

Speaker 8 (28:17):
Is every single player on this team is invaluable, right,
They're just it's I think it's the way the group
is constructed. And you know, you think about a guy
like walker Horn. Okay, so walker Horn is a walk on.
He's playing very, very minimal minutes. And he'd be the
first guy to tell you that he might not be
the most talented basketball player on the team, but every

(28:39):
single guy on our team would talk about him as
being one of the great unifiers.

Speaker 13 (28:44):
He is. He gives the by far.

Speaker 8 (28:46):
You know, we we've been through five games and two
exhibition games, and we have our players do a pregame
speech to get the high guys hyped up right before
the game, and a walker Horn, by far and away
the best pre game speech guy we've had so far
in the last several years on my teams, and and
and that matters, actually, that actually goes towards winning.

Speaker 13 (29:09):
He also is UH.

Speaker 8 (29:10):
He's world renowned UH and and the master on the
team of our guys get together from time to time,
and Andrew Carl put together basketball trivia games that they
compete at.

Speaker 13 (29:23):
And he is H.

Speaker 8 (29:25):
He's by far and away the master of basketball trivia.
And again, that might not sound like a lot in
terms of like the hard stats of the game, but
all that stuff helps build the connective tissue of a
team that actually ends up winning. So I don't think
I do without any of these guys. We need every
single one of them.

Speaker 2 (29:41):
Thank Fielding, gotta get to a break, turn me down.
Just thank you head caff I apologize when we're finished.

Speaker 7 (29:50):
Here on the UK Marko UK Healthcare Mark Pope Show,
stick around for Clark's Pump and Shot bb and Radio
Goosegivens and Brooklyn Delay of the volleyball team. They're going
to join Andrew Cappus Clarks Puppetshot BBN Radio eight to
nine Eastern. Right here on the UK Sports Network.

Speaker 14 (30:06):
BBN game Day, it's your weekly look inside UK Athletics
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BBN Game Day h R Weekly Look Inside UK Athletics
Saturdays at nine am on l EX eighteen and stations
across the state. Check uk Athletics dot com Slash UK
Sports Network for stations and times in your area.

Speaker 19 (33:05):
BBN Game Day.

Speaker 7 (33:18):
Welcome back into the UK Healthcare Mark Bobe Show Kentucky
and Western tomorrow night at seven Eastern. Cats will play
Friday night against Georgia State. That is also a seven
Eastern time tip, and we'll have covered starting at five
thirty both times both days here on these UK Sports
Network stations. If you have a call or a question,

(33:40):
you can call us on the Clark's Pump and Shop
phone line. You can also post questions on social media.
It's at UK Sports Network on X and that's actually
where we'll take our next question from coach from Bill.
Will you guys ever run the white and black presses
that you ran back when you played for coach.

Speaker 8 (33:56):
P Well, I don't think we'll do them quite that way.
I mean coach had us going on. I mean we
pressed every second of every single game, and it was
so integrable what we do. We we were a little
bit more picky and choosy about how we use it
and why we use it. We actually do a little
bit of a dumbed down version of both, but we
we just won't ever be quite that wholesale. One of

(34:18):
the things is coach is so incredible, Uh in that
time that we were playing, he was able to manufacture
all the things he needed out of those presses. It's
not exactly in the in the model of how we play,
but certainly we're we're finding places to squeeze in a
two two one and a one two one one where

(34:38):
it can be disruptive of the game. It's more than
it's it's not so much a constant for us, but
it's a disruptor or something to slow teams down, or
something to increase the pressure or make teams uncomfortable, or
to get them out of uh kind of what they're
doing in the half court. A little bit we were
more specific about when we use it.

Speaker 7 (34:53):
Let's go to the Clark's Pumping Shop phone line. Sean,
what's your question for coach Poe.

Speaker 23 (34:58):
Hey, goa cha, Mark. I was a freshman at UK
in ninety five ninety six, So you really started off
a great a great run for me. And you know,
I'm just so thankful that you came home, and I'm
so glad to have your family here, and and just
seeing the joy on on you on your eyes and

(35:21):
your wife's eyes, and and I just couldn't be any
happier to have you. I prefer to I would not
prefer to have any other coach in college basketball right now.
So you have the fun back in Kentucky basketball. I mean,
we're not gonna win every game, but I love feeling
like we're prepared and that we we have you know,

(35:44):
we've looked into the other team's tendencies and we're and
we're trying to take them out of the things that
they like to do. But I want to say that,
and I want to say, what a great uh, what
a great choice you made in king out of medicine.
So some of us were not as smart as you
to get out when the get was good and going
into coaching. But uh, and then I do have a

(36:06):
question for you, if you don't mind, yes, So, uh,
this is this is long debated in UK lore. So
two things. One did you guys U double down and
almost use the the Tim Duncan defense a little bit
in the Duke game? And then uh, and then and
trapping in the post a little bit when when Cooper

(36:29):
had his back to the basket. And then two did
Coach p and tend to lose the ninety six uh
SEC Championship game again?

Speaker 2 (36:40):
Yes?

Speaker 8 (36:41):
Okay, So first, thank you Sean, Sean Sean, thank you
for calling uh. And Two, I'm assuming you're in the
medical field, and thank you for doing that because it's
massively important and it's a it's a I just have
a tiny glipse of the sacrifices you had to make
to be able to serve people the way you're doing that,
So thank you for doing that. And Third, uh, so
you're already righting us off that we're not gonna win

(37:01):
every game. Forgive me for being more optimistic that, but
we're trying to win, baby, Let's go win now. To
get to your questions, uh, the one that really caught
my eye, well, I'll do both of them. So the
Tim Duncan double team. We weren't quite approaching the Tim
dunket double team like Coach P did because I've got

(37:22):
a Mari Williams okay, one of the great defenders in
all of college basketball, man in the post, and Andrew Carr,
who's terrific, got terrific length, and Coach Patino had me.
So he saw me down there with Tim Dugganty, He's like,
we have got to send something help to that camp
right now. In terms of coach throwing the uh throwing

(37:44):
the the Mississippi State game in the SEC Tournament Championship,
I know this story has been told over and over,
but I'll tell you again because it was such a
brilliant stroke of genius on Coach's part.

Speaker 13 (37:54):
So I would listen.

Speaker 8 (37:57):
I don't think coach has it in his DNA ever
not compete to win anything ever in the history of
his life. He is he is, he is driven, and
he's gonna win. He's gonna win.

Speaker 13 (38:08):
He's win.

Speaker 8 (38:08):
With that said, the most startling experience in my entire
three year tenure with Coach Patino was when he walked
into the locker room after that game. And we didn't
lose very often, and and a lot of times after
we won, it was the worst, you know, experience of
your life.

Speaker 13 (38:28):
Enduring the rage in the locker room after the game.

Speaker 8 (38:31):
Uh, and we had just lost, not just lost, but
got kind of picked apart in that Mississippi State SEC
championship game, and coach walked in the locker room, and
the way I remember it, he walked in the locker room,
walked right up the front, and the only words I
remember him say is saying, guys, listen to me, we

(38:53):
are gonna win a national championship because we just lost
that game. That I don't even know if he said
anything else, but he was calm as the summer's day,
which I had never seen him.

Speaker 13 (39:05):
That way in my life.

Speaker 8 (39:07):
And he was so convicted and so confident, and so
in that sense you might have wondered, you'd be like, wait,
was this.

Speaker 13 (39:14):
All part of the master plan.

Speaker 8 (39:15):
I think his master plan would have been to win
that game and win the next six. But certainly he
you know, we talk about how you respond, and coaches
one of the best ever at taking a great situation
and responding great, and taking a tough situation responding great,
and he sure taught us that in that moment.

Speaker 2 (39:32):
Good question, thank you for the questions.

Speaker 7 (39:34):
We'll take this next break about a half minute early,
and then then it'll give us a little longer segment
and the next week was got calls lined up. We'll
get to as many of them as we can when
we come right back on the UK Sports Network.

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Speaker 7 (41:56):
Welcome back into the UK Healthcare Mark Pope Show, and
we remind to watch bb in Game Day, presented by
Republic Bank all season long. It airs on Saturday mornings
at nine on WLAX here in Lexington. Check UK Athletics
dot com Slash UK Sports Network for TV affiliates and
times in your area. If you're outside the state, you
can watch it ukathletics dot com Slash videos or on

(42:17):
the Kentucky Wildcats Facebook page. Go back to the Clark's
Pumping Shop phone line, Mike, what is your question for
Coach Pope?

Speaker 33 (42:26):
Hey wow, this is Mike and Monroe, Washington State. So
I'm way of her. Oh wow, Quest, and my family
and I will be going to the game when you
guys play the Daggs. I got front row seats, upper deck.
There's five of us. We'll all be there and the
kids can't wait.

Speaker 2 (42:40):
That is awesome.

Speaker 13 (42:41):
I can't wait to see you guys there.

Speaker 33 (42:43):
Can't wait to go. I tell you a couple things
real quick, and I got a story and I'll be
fast to know. I was so excited to see you hired,
like the other guy said, more than any other coach
that's out there again. It almost makes me emotional. I'm
so glad you're here. This story I want to tell you,
has been bobbly since the buzzer sounded that ninety six
champion game. The story I've been wanting to tell when

(43:05):
you got hired. I want to tell you this. I
was at Disney then with my wife. I'm with her cousins.
I had never seen the Electric Light Trade. I'm disney
it all day. I said, I'm going to go back
to the hotel and watching this game. And I said,
they said you got to get back for the Electric
Light Trade. I said, where you gonna be, h It's
a small world in the back of the park, no
cell phones. Okay, I watched the game. You guys win.

(43:27):
I'm freaking going crazy. I get my big Kentucky blue
sweatshirt on. I run without stopping all the way to
the park. The ropes are all on Main Street. I
get under a rope and I start running down empty
Main Street. They're doing vending balloons and stuff. Every fifty
feet Someone's yelling did they win?

Speaker 23 (43:45):
And turn around?

Speaker 34 (43:46):
NA chip you.

Speaker 33 (43:47):
Today that I ran and said that all the way
to the back of the park on my wife. The
electric light trade started a minute later.

Speaker 8 (43:54):
That is anyway, that is so fantastic. Thank you for
sharing that story because that place means a lot to
us too. We've had such a great family experience therever.

Speaker 2 (44:03):
That is beautiful. Thank you mar.

Speaker 33 (44:06):
Waiting to tell you that story. You guys, anyways, thank you.
I'll call again sometime. Coach, good luck. We love the team,
love the guys, I love the coaching stuff.

Speaker 13 (44:14):
I appreciate you.

Speaker 7 (44:15):
Gotta get to our alumni Hall of Fan. Question of
the Week comes from Kelly, and Kelly wants to know.
I'm not sure he or she, so I'll just Kelly
wants to know that they're going to be traveling to
Seattle for the Georgia game, excuse the Gonzaga game, and.

Speaker 2 (44:35):
Will that be the toughest tape test to date?

Speaker 8 (44:39):
Well, listen, these Aggs are really good. I've had the
great pleasure of of coaching against Mark Feugh every year
for the last I don't know how many years, for
so long, and he is one of the best in
the business. And Gonzaga has had one of the best
runs of any team and all of college basketball over

(45:01):
the last ten years. Uh, they know exactly who they are.
They probably play a brilliant style of basketball. They're fully
loaded with a veteran team. It's gonna be Uh, it's
gonna be an electric game and I can't wait to.

Speaker 13 (45:14):
Get to it.

Speaker 8 (45:14):
We have huge games before we get there. Uh, but
that'll be a really special challenge.

Speaker 2 (45:19):
Also, back to the.

Speaker 7 (45:20):
Clark's Pumping Shop phone line, Evan, what do you have
for Coach Pope?

Speaker 35 (45:25):
Hey, Coach Pope, just like Mike, come out here in
Seattle as well. It looks forward to going to the game.

Speaker 8 (45:31):
Man, you guys are getting about this game in Seattle.
We're gonna have a lot of a lot of big
Blue Nation out there.

Speaker 2 (45:38):
Hey.

Speaker 35 (45:38):
I got friends and family coming to visit too. You're
gonna have a big showing. I can feel it.

Speaker 2 (45:43):
Travel always do well.

Speaker 35 (45:45):
My question for you, oh yeah, the high question for
you was I we hear a lot about, uh, the
the players and obviously how you coach as well, but
I want to learn a little bit more about the
assistant coaches. You touched on a little earlier in uh
the segment on and the Big chrischen Clain in the

(46:10):
bigs and then I think we know a little bit
more about coach Figure and the offense. I want a
little I want to know a little bit more about
coach Hart, as he's so highly touted around the league
and NBA and college, what he does for this team,
and where you find value in his abilities as an
assistant coach.

Speaker 2 (46:29):
Thank you?

Speaker 8 (46:30):
Yes, Jay Hard is unbelievable. So I've known him for
a long time. We played together with the Milwaukee Bucks,
and he had an unbelievable NBA career. And he's as
everybody around here knows, he's he's got a massive heart. Uh,
he's got so much joy. He's one of the funniest
human beings I've ever been around. Uh. And he's got

(46:50):
a he's got a basketball IQ for days.

Speaker 13 (46:52):
I mean, he's a. He's a he's a.

Speaker 8 (46:54):
College and NB a tenured point guard, right he he
he was shoot under some of the great coaches that
have ever coached this game, both in college and in
the NBA. And he is, you know, he is responsibility.
So he is actually on the small team working the offense.
He's on the small team over our player development. He's

(47:16):
working every single day with our point guards. He's got
he's kind of got his fingers in everything. You know,
he's one of our lead recruit guys. He's got his
fingers are just about every part of this program, and
he's making an impact on everything that we do. You've
seen how sensational LaMotte Butler and Kirk Chrissen and Travis Perry,

(47:37):
how how those guys are growing. And man, he just
is uh, you know, he is. He is one of
the best in in all of basketball and he's gonna
it's gonna be fun for all of us to watch
his career continue to skyrocket.

Speaker 7 (47:49):
Evan, thank you for the question. We are coming up
on Thanksgiving this Thursday. And Deb Moore for Sports Information,
gave me a note to ask you about something called
the gratitude circle that you brought with you from BYU
to Kentucky.

Speaker 13 (48:04):
Yep.

Speaker 8 (48:05):
So you know, we talked about this. We kind of
talked about this a little bit from day one. This
is something near and dear to my heart. But you know,
I think one of the things about the successful makeup
of a team one of the foundational principles. We have
just a core philosophy and we have foundational principles, and

(48:26):
one of them is gratitude, and gratitude needs to be practiced.
I'll say this, and you'll hear me say this a
million times, but one of the one of the there
are very few things that I will say are absolute
one hundred percent truths. Okay, So when I start to
say that to my players, because everything I talk about
my players is all the numbers, well, it's like a
sixty two percent chance that you're gonna have this outcome

(48:48):
one hundred percent true. As much as I know anything
in life, is that you cannot be more happy than
you are grateful. You cannot be more happy.

Speaker 13 (49:02):
Than you are grateful.

Speaker 8 (49:03):
This is just a true principle of life. It's so true.
And gratitude is something that we have, but it's something
we have to practice and and and they're directly correlation.
There's a direct correlation. I'll also say it this way.
I can turn it around and say that if you
are great at being grateful, by definition, you will one

(49:27):
hundred percent be happy. Grateful people are happy, right, and
ungrateful people have a really tough time being happy. And
it's it's you know, it's interesting because you see rich
people that are happy, and rich people that are sad.
You see famous people that are happy and famous people
that are sad. You see poor people that are sad
and poor people that are happy. Right, you see people

(49:50):
you know in any type of circumstance. It doesn't matter
the circumstances. It matters the gratitude that you bring with it.
And so we have a gratitude circle. We practice gratitude
because you can actually get better at being grateful, you
can actually practice it, and so our guys practice that
they're great at it. We do a gratitude circle after
practice where we'll go around and we'll play gratitude tag,

(50:12):
where one of the guys will say what they're grateful
for and then they tag someone else on the team.
It's not literal tag. They just say someone else's name
and they talk about what they're grateful for. And it's
a beautiful thing. It actually makes us perform better as athletes,
we play more together as athletes, and we really win
in life when we can understand the impact of gratitude.

Speaker 13 (50:34):
I'm clearly I'm super passionate about it.

Speaker 2 (50:36):
Good message this time of year.

Speaker 7 (50:37):
One last break to get to We'll come back with
our final segment on the UK Sports Network Flight by Yingling.

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(51:32):
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Speaker 10 (51:42):
Hey, there's a penny.

Speaker 4 (51:42):
By your foot, a penny, find a penny, pick it up.
Then o' day you'll have good luck.

Speaker 10 (51:46):
Come on, let's aim higher for the nickel. But how
often do you find free nickels every day at Thornton's.

Speaker 26 (51:51):
Save five cents off for gallon of fuel every day
with Thornton's Refreshing Rewards.

Speaker 10 (51:54):
Then we need a new adage. Come to Thornton's. Pump
your gas, save some nickels with every pass dell add
up to a buck. How does that sound for a
little luck?

Speaker 4 (52:02):
That is way better than pennies?

Speaker 11 (52:04):
Get five cents off for gallon of fuel every day
at your local Thorton's. Valid on fuel purchases up to
thirty five gallons requires download of the Refreshing Rewards app
and successful registration.

Speaker 25 (52:12):
Toyota thun is on the perfect time to save on
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Call one eight eight eight thirty six Toyota for details
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than Toyota.

Speaker 4 (52:40):
Let's go places.

Speaker 2 (52:41):
Thoseline tip or not.

Speaker 24 (52:43):
Athleen, UK Athletics would length a bank our official cornerstone partners,
Central Bank, the official bank of UK Athletics, Kentucky Farm
Bureau Insurance, Big On Commitment and UK Healthcare, official healthcare
partner of Big Blue Nation Yoka.

Speaker 14 (53:00):
Good morning, Track Walkodie in Kentucky go some seventy two.

Speaker 24 (53:05):
Once again, thank you to our official cornerstone partners who
play a vital role in the success of the University
of Kentucky Athletics program.

Speaker 26 (53:13):
Hey DQ fans, do you really like cheeseburgers? Do you
love a delicious deal? Well, boy, does DQ have just
the thing for you. Say hello to the DQ cheeseburger
lovers deal. Get two of our legendary DQ single burgers
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(53:34):
and full only for a limited time at participating DQ locations.
Happy Taste Good.

Speaker 22 (53:52):
Four.

Speaker 7 (53:52):
Complete coverage of the Cats. Like UK Sports Network on Facebook.
Also follow us on Instagram. It's at UK Underscore Sports
Network and follow on x It's at UK Sports Network.
Gotta make one correction, I'll give you the incorrect info earlier.
Six thirty tip time tomorrow, so it will be five o'clock
Eastern when we'll start the countdown to tip off show.
The game Friday is at seven Eastern, but six thirty

(54:14):
Eastern tomorrow for Kentucky and Western it's on ESPN. You
you can listen on the UK Radio Network as Goose
and I will be on the call. Let's go back
to the Clark's Pumping Shop phone line, Linda, what's your
question for coach Pope.

Speaker 34 (54:29):
It's not so much a question, it's just that I
want to tell him welcome home, and my experiences with
him have been going on the sales life since ninety six.
My husband and I drove from Louisville to Lexington to
welcome home with the trophy and Mark. You stayed out
there the longest. You stayed out there and talked to

(54:50):
all of us until there was no more people, and
that affected me so much that I sent you a
little magnet that said how special were way back then?
And then I wrote to you about two or three
years ago in Byu and I told you that I
could very easily see you being our coach one day.

(55:12):
And you wrote back to me and you said it
would be an honor as it was when I wore
the uniform. You were so special. And then I got
you when you got there in Lexington. I got you
a little plock and it was called the Difference Maker
and I sent it to you because you make a

(55:33):
big difference and it's just amazing the person.

Speaker 13 (55:36):
You are, Linda. That's so kind.

Speaker 8 (55:39):
I can't say how much I appreciate you, and I'm
so grateful for the gifts, for sure, but also just
grateful for the incredible kindness of you and all of BBN.

Speaker 28 (55:51):
Right.

Speaker 8 (55:51):
It's anybody that gets to be a part of this
family is really blessed and I'm super grateful for you.

Speaker 7 (55:57):
Thank you, Linda. Back to social media at UK Sports Network.
This one's from Bush. How do you see teams attempting
to guard your team? If Otega and Lamont continue to
knock down threes? And will teams have to adjust how
they play screens for those two guys.

Speaker 8 (56:15):
It's gonna get It's hard, right, It's hard when when
when our guys are playing well and they're really sharing
the ball, it gets complicated. And so I would guess
that teams for the most part, which just try and
dig into their strengths. Most of the time, we don't
see teams guarding us like they guard you know, you
watch five games of film and you kind of do

(56:36):
a scout on how they guard actions, how they guard
ball screens and staggers and UCLA's and rip screens and
everything else. And then a lot of times when they
get to us, they've kind of changed a few things
just because you have to account for a little bit
of a different style of play. But most of the time,
teams just lean more heavily into their strength and so

(56:57):
I expect that's how most teams will guard.

Speaker 13 (56:59):
So they might just tweak what they do, but they'll
do it heavier.

Speaker 7 (57:02):
Thanksgiving week, your mom and dad were in last week Goose,
and I got a chance to visit with them, great folks,
And I heard you on social media somewhere you said
your mom's got a favorite dish of Thanksgiving that you
were favorite.

Speaker 8 (57:15):
Yeah, my mom makes the greatest green being castle known
in the history of the world. If you haven't had
green being castrole, do yourself a favor. Have this Thanksgiving
because it'll change your life forever.

Speaker 2 (57:29):
It is.

Speaker 13 (57:30):
It is like it's magical.

Speaker 2 (57:32):
Happy Thanksgiving to you and you guys.

Speaker 13 (57:33):
Thank you, Brother Appreciation.

Speaker 7 (57:34):
Kentucky and Western Kentucky. Tomorrow night, six thirty Eastern Time.
Tip coverage starts at five Eastern right here join us
then on the UK Sports Network.

Speaker 6 (57:47):
This has been the UK Healthcare Mark Pope Show on
the UK Sports Network. The Mark Pope Show What's brought
to you by Coca Cola, Appalachian Regional Healthcare, Little Caesar
and by UK Healthcare.

Speaker 4 (58:02):
We are here to win Banners.

Speaker 6 (58:05):
Kentucky Basketball is a presentation of the UK Sports Network.

Speaker 4 (58:10):
Let's Go Cats, powered by JMI Sports.

Speaker 1 (58:16):
Fight every single day for every.

Speaker 4 (58:19):
Single one of The.

Speaker 6 (58:21):
Mark Pope Collins Show is brought to you locally in
Lexington by Baptist Health, Chick fil A, Skyline Chili and
by Toyota.

Speaker 14 (58:31):
Tockay Beautiful of Fife.

Speaker 13 (58:34):
Good Cat.

Speaker 6 (58:38):
Catch the Wildcats in Lexington all season long on your
home for Kentucky basketball the UK Sports Network.

Speaker 25 (58:48):
Toyota than is on our biggest event of the year
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(59:09):
through TFS text title and license extra. Call one eight
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Toyota dot com Toyota Let's Go Places.

Speaker 36 (59:19):
First Watch, the daytime cafe, is serving up good mornings
to wildcat country. Here at First Watch, we begin each
morning at the crack of dawn slicing fresh fruits and vegetables,
baking muffins and whipping up our French toast batter from scratch.
We use only the finest ingredients for the freshest taste around.
Whether you want breakfast for lunch or lunch for breakfast,
at First Watch, everything is made to order and freshness

(59:41):
is never compromised. First Watch is proud to be the
official breakfast of UK Athletics, Go Cats.