Getty Image
Kentucky’s head coaching search appears to be coming to an end. Reports from national media outlets are saying that the Wildcats have zeroed in on their replacement for John Calipari.
That new leader will not be Rick Pitino, though he did show support of the man expected to take over in Lexington – Mark Pope. While he did back Pope to be the next Kentucky coach, he also crushed any last-gasp hopes of a return to his former school.
As many know, Pitino was on top of the college basketball world with the Wildcats in the 1990s, posting a 219-50 record across eight seasons.
With the program, he notched four SEC regular season titles, three Final Fours, and a national championship. Rather than keep that success rolling, he jumped to the NBA.
A few seasons later, he then became enemy No. 1 in Lexington, taking over the rival Louisville Cardinals. But those feelings of animosity have all but disappeared.
In fact, many were hoping to see Pitino get a call after seeing the Wildcats strike out on every top candidate on their coaching list.
Nate Oats said no, leveraging his interest into boatloads of NIL money at Alabama. Scott Drew (and his wife) spurned Kentucky to continue a two-decade run at Baylor. The icing on the cake came when Dan Hurley turned down a historic offer to stay at UConn.
Still hopeful to land a big name, Rick Pitino’s name began trending as a possible, last-ditch option. And there were even reports claiming there was mutual interest!
BREAKING
Sources close to Rick Pitino tell @ABC36News that the former Kentucky head coach is “very interested,” in another stint at the helm to lead the Wildcats.#BBN #NCAABasketball
— Forrest Tucker (@ForrestTuckerTV) April 12, 2024
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem he was a legitimate candidate for the Wildcats – or he gave them a “no” behind closed doors before getting too far into any future talks.
Instead, the search shifted to BYU with Kentucky targeting Mark Pope.
It’s being reported that Mark Pope will be the next head coach at Kentucky.
BREAKING: Kentucky is closing in on hiring BYU’s Mark Pope, per a source.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 12, 2024
It makes sense in some ways given his ties to the university. A former player on a national championship winning squad in 1996, he knows the pressures that come along with being a part of the program.
Rick Pitino was Pope’s coach on that ’96 title squad, and he seemed excited about the possibility of seeing his former player back on the bench.
“I love Mark Pope and his family,” he told NJ Advance Media on Thursday. “He would be an unbelievable choice.”
While that might turn out to be true, Pitino’s support hasn’t done much to lift the spirits of Kentucky fans who believe the program settled with the hire.
Going with Mark Pope before even calling Bruce Pearl, Chris Beard, and Rick Pitino is so insanely dumb. I am in shock.
— cade smith (@cadesmith_3) April 12, 2024
As it turns out, Rick Pitino will stay put at St. John’s while the Wildcats have seemingly landed their guy. The coaching search is over, which is often something to celebrate!
In this case, it seems a number of Kentucky fans are discouraged by how it played out.