“We have one assignment, and that’s to get number nine.”
Mark Pope has been a busy man for the Kentucky Wildcats, and that’s included a series of interviews this week with national reporters.
First off, Pope joined the Field of 68 Podcast, where he raved about the roster Kentucky has assembled thus far.
“Andrew Carr was born to play for us,” said Pope. “Koby Brea is the most efficient…look it up. He’s the most efficient high-mid, high-major player in the last decade offensively. He’s a 1.33 points per possession (scorer) last year. The next closest guy is at 1.31. I’ve never seen numbers of what he did last year ever.
“You think about Kerr Kriisa and Collin Chandler and this whole group. Brandon Garrison, this dude is just a rising star. I think the pieces are incredible with how they fit together and how they fit us. We couldn’t be more excited.”
Then in an interview with NCAA.com’s Andy Katz, Pope touched on many of the same subjects while also opening up about Kentucky’s scheduling process, which may include Rick Pitino and his St. John’s team.
“The love that BBN has for Rick Pitino, it’s almost unfathomable, and we gotta find some way to work this out where we can get Coach (Pitino) and his great St. John’s teams into Rupp Arena,” said Pope.
When asked about his current team’s ceiling, Pope kept it simple: The job is to win it all.
“There’s only one acceptable answer to that here at Kentucky, and I know that. We have one assignment, and that’s to get number nine,” said Pope. “Everywhere I turn, I see the number nine. That’s all I see, so we’re pretty obsessed with that, and we’re gonna chase it with everything we have, and that’s the standard here.”