Man, I think we all hope you're right. I think we're all in shock. I don't think Mark Pope was on ANYONE's radar here. He may have been way down a list of guys you could call after being turned down by 20 others, but not the 3rd guy we pursue.
I'll have to keep saying this because I feel terrible being down on this hire... but I love Mark Pope and his teams from the mid-90s, especially that 96 team that was one of the best ever. I'm supporting him, just venting a bit. Mitch will never be allowed to hire another coach at UK if this doesn't work out. It's really not fair to Pope to put him in this position, potentially devoured by the program and fans he loves so much. But I hope he does great. We shall see, one way or another.