Some of the main talking points that Mark Pope had today during SEC Basketball Media Day...
MARK POPE Q&A SESSION:
* On where he wants to see the team improve the most after having seen them practice for a few weeks now... Veteran group that understands their coaches and teammates, what they're trying to do, and want to grow together. That's the main thing. The next step is to actually get on the court and play another team. Excited about that getting closer.
* On Jaxson Robinson's development... Can talk about him for days. Blessed to be able to coach him. One of the great things is watching him continue to grow. Had a ton of potential when he was younger, but it was unrealized. To see it coming together and to see him grow into being a leader for this team is great. Embracing the physicality of the game and becoming fearless. Extraordinarily talented player. Grateful to be able to coach him one more year and to finish the journey they started together 3 years ago.
* On his relationship with Calipari... Will never hear him say a negative word about Cal. Has always been generous to the Pope family over the years. We'll be cheering for him every day except for Feb. 1.
* On Big Blue Madness and having Rick Pitino back... Really personal for him. Most people can probably count on one hand the amount of people who change you forever. Rick is one of those for me. Really special to be able to feel that love from BBN to Coach during Madness.
* Asked if the offense will need to find a go-to guy or rely more on the team aspect of the system... Says there are times when you will need both, but it will likely lean more heavily on the latter. The right combination of guys is probably more important than the right "go-to" guy. All of this is one of the reasons he finds coaching so fascinating, the challenge of putting it all together.
* Asked about the SEC... Funny that he coached in the best league in America last year, and now he comes into the SEC and 9 of the Top 25 in the first AP Poll are from the SEC. Said the challenge of coaching in the Big 12 last year was one of the most fun experiences he's had. It's a gauntlet to be respected and maybe even feared a little bit, and that's what it's all about to a competitor.
* On the stylish UK letterman jacket he's wearing at SEC Media Days... Says he had some photo shoots to do, and his equipment manager does a great job of setting him up with stuff.... "And, as an old man, I'm trying to look a little younger."
* On pace of play... Really important to what we do, even in the halfcourt. We would like to stay squarely in the top third of the country, and ideally in the top seven." Pace of movement away from the ball is huge. Not all of it can be reflected in the KenPom stats, but some of it is.
* On his welcome back to Kentucky... There's nowhere else like it. It's just unique. There are incredible fan bases across this country, and then there's Kentucky. It's a 1 of 1.
* Shares a story about Jaxson Robinson when they sat down with the team and asked each guy what they wanted to contribute to the team effort. Robinson said he sees his role as a "translator" to make other guys comfortable with the way Pope plays. Really interesting kid.
* On the challenge of molding so many guys from so many different places into this new team... Says he's got a group of guys who are incredibly curious. When you have that, you have a chance to grow really fast. These guys aren't trying to grasp onto how they've done things before. They're willing to change habits. Koby Brea is one of them. They argued the first few weeks about why Koby wasn't shooting shots he should be shooting. Just wasn't used to having that approach. Took him a while to change his habit. You're one of the best shooters in college basketball, we brought you here to shoot.
* Hoping the exhibition games will expose some things they don't know yet about their team. Wants to see the holes and the cracks and what they need to do to fix them. We're really eager to go face some opponents.
******
EXTRA Q&As FROM SEC NETWORK:
* Jaxson Robinson on Pope being at UK now... Same guy he's known for the last three years. Amazing opportunity to be at Kentucky, though.
* Robinson says he knows the SEC is a tough, physical league, so he's been putting a lot of work into his body to get ready for it. Also trying to be more assertive.
* Robinson on Big Blue Madness... There's no way to describe it until you experience it. Pope had talked about it, but it's even crazier than he imagined.
* Robinson asked what kind of music he likes... Says Lamont Butler (ha) but has been diving back into old Jay-Z stuff. That's his favorite guy now.
* Lamont Butler on joining Pope at Kentucky... He just had an energy level from the jump that was great. A lot of passion, but also trust. You can tell how much Kentucky means to him, and I wanted to be part of that. Pope interrupts and says he had to play against him the last three years, he had to feel what it's like to have him on his side.
* Butler says he's just approaching his role as a leader. He was a leader by himself (lol) when he jumped on board. "There was no team." (Laughs)
* Pope on his expectations for Butler... Guys who can withstand having Kentucky across their chest and that being their identity. He has proven it at the highest level (big shot in Final Four) and by being the best defensive point guard in the country. Really happy with how he's worked on his shot and is shooting it at a higher level in practice. Adds that he'll "spill his guts all over the floor."
* Asked about his basketball approach and Pitino, Pope said it's really interesting that they have taken totally different paths, but there are so many similarities when you get down to the guts of how to play winning basketball.
* Asked about whether he's starting to get nervous with the season coming... Pope concedes it's an anxious time. The burden of this job is real. But he also feels the excitement level and energy from the fans right now, and he's honored to be entrusted with this job.
* Butler on what the standard is at UK... Excellence. He's been a fan his whole life, even though he was at another school.
MARK POPE Q&A SESSION:
* On where he wants to see the team improve the most after having seen them practice for a few weeks now... Veteran group that understands their coaches and teammates, what they're trying to do, and want to grow together. That's the main thing. The next step is to actually get on the court and play another team. Excited about that getting closer.
* On Jaxson Robinson's development... Can talk about him for days. Blessed to be able to coach him. One of the great things is watching him continue to grow. Had a ton of potential when he was younger, but it was unrealized. To see it coming together and to see him grow into being a leader for this team is great. Embracing the physicality of the game and becoming fearless. Extraordinarily talented player. Grateful to be able to coach him one more year and to finish the journey they started together 3 years ago.
* On his relationship with Calipari... Will never hear him say a negative word about Cal. Has always been generous to the Pope family over the years. We'll be cheering for him every day except for Feb. 1.
* On Big Blue Madness and having Rick Pitino back... Really personal for him. Most people can probably count on one hand the amount of people who change you forever. Rick is one of those for me. Really special to be able to feel that love from BBN to Coach during Madness.
* Asked if the offense will need to find a go-to guy or rely more on the team aspect of the system... Says there are times when you will need both, but it will likely lean more heavily on the latter. The right combination of guys is probably more important than the right "go-to" guy. All of this is one of the reasons he finds coaching so fascinating, the challenge of putting it all together.
* Asked about the SEC... Funny that he coached in the best league in America last year, and now he comes into the SEC and 9 of the Top 25 in the first AP Poll are from the SEC. Said the challenge of coaching in the Big 12 last year was one of the most fun experiences he's had. It's a gauntlet to be respected and maybe even feared a little bit, and that's what it's all about to a competitor.
* On the stylish UK letterman jacket he's wearing at SEC Media Days... Says he had some photo shoots to do, and his equipment manager does a great job of setting him up with stuff.... "And, as an old man, I'm trying to look a little younger."
* On pace of play... Really important to what we do, even in the halfcourt. We would like to stay squarely in the top third of the country, and ideally in the top seven." Pace of movement away from the ball is huge. Not all of it can be reflected in the KenPom stats, but some of it is.
* On his welcome back to Kentucky... There's nowhere else like it. It's just unique. There are incredible fan bases across this country, and then there's Kentucky. It's a 1 of 1.
* Shares a story about Jaxson Robinson when they sat down with the team and asked each guy what they wanted to contribute to the team effort. Robinson said he sees his role as a "translator" to make other guys comfortable with the way Pope plays. Really interesting kid.
* On the challenge of molding so many guys from so many different places into this new team... Says he's got a group of guys who are incredibly curious. When you have that, you have a chance to grow really fast. These guys aren't trying to grasp onto how they've done things before. They're willing to change habits. Koby Brea is one of them. They argued the first few weeks about why Koby wasn't shooting shots he should be shooting. Just wasn't used to having that approach. Took him a while to change his habit. You're one of the best shooters in college basketball, we brought you here to shoot.
* Hoping the exhibition games will expose some things they don't know yet about their team. Wants to see the holes and the cracks and what they need to do to fix them. We're really eager to go face some opponents.
******
EXTRA Q&As FROM SEC NETWORK:
* Jaxson Robinson on Pope being at UK now... Same guy he's known for the last three years. Amazing opportunity to be at Kentucky, though.
* Robinson says he knows the SEC is a tough, physical league, so he's been putting a lot of work into his body to get ready for it. Also trying to be more assertive.
* Robinson on Big Blue Madness... There's no way to describe it until you experience it. Pope had talked about it, but it's even crazier than he imagined.
* Robinson asked what kind of music he likes... Says Lamont Butler (ha) but has been diving back into old Jay-Z stuff. That's his favorite guy now.
* Lamont Butler on joining Pope at Kentucky... He just had an energy level from the jump that was great. A lot of passion, but also trust. You can tell how much Kentucky means to him, and I wanted to be part of that. Pope interrupts and says he had to play against him the last three years, he had to feel what it's like to have him on his side.
* Butler says he's just approaching his role as a leader. He was a leader by himself (lol) when he jumped on board. "There was no team." (Laughs)
* Pope on his expectations for Butler... Guys who can withstand having Kentucky across their chest and that being their identity. He has proven it at the highest level (big shot in Final Four) and by being the best defensive point guard in the country. Really happy with how he's worked on his shot and is shooting it at a higher level in practice. Adds that he'll "spill his guts all over the floor."
* Asked about his basketball approach and Pitino, Pope said it's really interesting that they have taken totally different paths, but there are so many similarities when you get down to the guts of how to play winning basketball.
* Asked about whether he's starting to get nervous with the season coming... Pope concedes it's an anxious time. The burden of this job is real. But he also feels the excitement level and energy from the fans right now, and he's honored to be entrusted with this job.
* Butler on what the standard is at UK... Excellence. He's been a fan his whole life, even though he was at another school.
