Rick Pitino Will Return To Kentucky To Coach Against Mark Pope

Mark Pope Rick Pitino Kentucky St. John's — Getty Image

Rick Pitino has officially accepted a challenge from his former player, Mark Pope, and will make his long-awaited return to Kentucky as the head basketball coach at St. John’s. The Red Storm is going to play the Wildcats in Lexington next year.

Put it on the calendar!

Pope, who was named as John Calipari’s successor at his alma mater on Friday, took the podium in front of a raucous sold-out crowd at Rupp Arena on Sunday. Big Blue Nation (which initially melted down over the hire) showed up in a big way for their new coach’s introductory press conference and went bonkers.

There were a lot of exciting moments throughout the afternoon. Pope brought the energy.

He also called out his former coach!

Mark Pope and Rick Pitino are going head-to-head.

Pope played for Pitino as a member of Kentucky’s national championship team in 1996 and served as a captain for the team. They are going to coach against each other during the 2024/25 season.

Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio asked Pope about scheduling. The head coach responded with a challenge for St. John’s, which of course is coached by Pitino.

That is quite the roar for @KySportsRadio been a voice of Kentucky sports for a long time. pic.twitter.com/3dnypMdInY
— Andrew Hardison (@UKCatsSports101) April 14, 2024

Word got back to Queens on Monday morning. Pitino accepted!

The Red Storm is going to travel south and play the Wildcats at Rupp Arena.

Wow, just saw clips from our Captain’s press conference. Not shocked, but pleasantly surprised. Would expect nothing less from @CoachMarkPope. Also, @StJohnsBBall accepts, this year at UK, next year at the Mecca! Looking forward to saying goodbye to @KentuckyMBB.

— Rick Pitino (@RealPitino) April 15, 2024

There are a lot of different storylines involved with the (potentially Top-25) matchup. A former player coaching against his former coach is just one.

Pitino’s return to Kentucky after a somewhat frustrating departure to the Boston Celtics, and later, a tenure at Louisville is another. The support that he shown to Pope since his hire is a story as well.

Shortly after Pope was announced as the new coach, Pitino vowed to write him a check for his NIL efforts if necessary. While it seems unlikely in reality, he could potentially help pay for the Wildcats’ roster only to play against the team he helped to fund!

And then there is the basketball element. St. John’s vs. Kentucky is an awesome game!