In Kyle Tucker's latest article at The Athletic, he speaks with the Baylor coach:
"That was very hard because Mitch is one of the great people in this profession that I got to know in the (2021 NCAA Tournament) bubble and someone I greatly respect, but Baylor is home,” Drew said Saturday. Kentucky is home for Pope, so maybe it worked out best for everyone involved, Drew figures. “The good thing is, I can cheer for him now that he’s not in our league. Everyone in college basketball knows offensively, Coach Pope’s stuff is tremendously hard to guard and he’s on the cutting edge in that realm. But he also understands the importance of defense in winning, and his teams are very physical, and that’s why they had so much success this year in the Big 12. I’m happy for him and Kentucky, because I think they hired a really good coach and a very high-character man.”
Also, Jasper Johnson talks about Pope's recruiting plan:
“Kentucky has always been a school I look up to,” Johnson said. “I know they’ve been busy building their roster, but now that the portal is over, they’re thinking more about recruiting and I’ve been learning more about Coach Pope. His offense is really good for guards, the way they shoot 3s and they’re really creative, and he’s telling me I’m one of the few high school players he wants. He doesn’t want to sign as many high school guys as they have in the past, because you need some older players, some portal guys, so him believing in me that way feels good.”
"That was very hard because Mitch is one of the great people in this profession that I got to know in the (2021 NCAA Tournament) bubble and someone I greatly respect, but Baylor is home,” Drew said Saturday. Kentucky is home for Pope, so maybe it worked out best for everyone involved, Drew figures. “The good thing is, I can cheer for him now that he’s not in our league. Everyone in college basketball knows offensively, Coach Pope’s stuff is tremendously hard to guard and he’s on the cutting edge in that realm. But he also understands the importance of defense in winning, and his teams are very physical, and that’s why they had so much success this year in the Big 12. I’m happy for him and Kentucky, because I think they hired a really good coach and a very high-character man.”
Also, Jasper Johnson talks about Pope's recruiting plan:
“Kentucky has always been a school I look up to,” Johnson said. “I know they’ve been busy building their roster, but now that the portal is over, they’re thinking more about recruiting and I’ve been learning more about Coach Pope. His offense is really good for guards, the way they shoot 3s and they’re really creative, and he’s telling me I’m one of the few high school players he wants. He doesn’t want to sign as many high school guys as they have in the past, because you need some older players, some portal guys, so him believing in me that way feels good.”