“One week ago, the Pope girls and I returned to the UK to begin the greatest adventure of our lives. It has been a tornado of awesomeness, which is exactly what Kentucky basketball is! “It’s the pinnacle of basketball,” Pope commented on Sunday on X (previously Twitter). “And BBN has taken the next step in reinventing southern hospitality! Thank you. We are fully immersed in our work. We will be unrelenting. We know what the assignment is! We’ll all do this together. Our hearts are full with thankfulness. “We have arrived home.”

Pope hasn’t spoken about his tenure at BYU since accepting the position in Kentucky ten days ago. During his introductory press conference with the Wildcats last week in a sold-out Rupp Arena, he did not address BYU specifically.

Mark Pope thanked the BYU basketball team.
Pope did, however, express gratitude for his time at BYU in the same X post. Pope spent nine seasons with the BYU basketball program, serving as both head coach and assistant coach.

“On this sacred Sunday morning, I am also overwhelmed with thankfulness for the blessings that have brought us here. BYU will always be a very precious location for our family. One mentor told me shortly after we got at BYU that ‘BYU had more to offer me than I had to offer BYU.’ Those comments proved to be SO true, as we saw the BYU experience positively impact our lives. It’s staggering to think of the innumerable lasting friendships we made at BYU. “We are extremely grateful.”

Pope led BYU to a 110-52 record and two NCAA Tournament appearances during five seasons as head coach.

Since Pope left for Kentucky, BYU has hired Phoenix Suns Associate Head Coach Kevin Young as their next head coach.