Mark Pope left Kentucky’s Pro Day sounding like, well, Mark Pope.
That means confidence, optimism and a whole lot of belief in where his team is headed. With representatives from all 30 NBA teams in attendance on Tuesday, Pope said he liked what he saw from his group and felt the Wildcats are moving in the right direction.
“They’re actually starting to see the game like we want them to see the game and read the game like we want them to,” Pope said on the SEC Network+ broadcast. “I’m telling you, there’s some capacity here to read the game. As we tried to build this team, we went really, really heavy on creators, and there is some sense of that.
“We’re way better than we were a month ago, and we’re exponentially better than we were three months ago. For us to be good, we’re gonna have to be way better a month from now than we are now. But we’re showing good progress, and I’m encouraged.”
Pope made clear that the day was only one checkpoint, not some final verdict on what Kentucky will be this season. Still, he came away pleased with how the players handled the setting and the attention that comes with it.
“I liked us a lot today. Clearly we’re so early in this process.
There are a few things I like. It’s a real internal measure for our guys because every single guy on our roster is dreaming of having great success here at Kentucky, and then going on and playing in the NBA.
This is a big deal for them,” Pope said.
“And if they come in today and they feel different, their focus is different, their energy is different, then they’ve done every day before today wrong. Our guys’ focus was the same, our guys’ energy was the same, our guys’ communication was the same.”
To get a better read on the roster, Pope and his staff deliberately made things uncomfortable. The point was to see how the players would handle instructions they hadn’t rehearsed and how they would respond once the action moved from the board to the floor.
“We on purpose had scripted a bunch of actions that really aren’t playbook stuff for us. But we just wanted to challenge our guys to be able to hear something on the sideline, walk onto the floor in some type of pressure where there’s some type of disoriented feeling, and really execute. I thought our guys were great,” the Kentucky coach said.
He was especially encouraged by how the group handled those changes on the fly.
“It was probably the best group I’ve ever had in terms of being able to kind of take it from the board, at least today, and go execute it in some ways on the floor. I was really pleased with that. I thought our guys were really good at moving on to the next play, which is important.
“This is not a game, but there is also a vibe in the gym with all these guys who are such important decision makers. I thought our guys’ ability to move on to the next play was good.”
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The one encouraging note for Kentucky is on special teams, where long snapper Cole Marszalek is expected back after sitting out. Kalen Edwards, meanwhile, has slipped from questionable to doubtful, leaving the Wildcats with even fewer options as they prepare for one of the seasons tougher tests. On the other side, LSUs biggest injury issue centers on linebacker Whit Weeks, who is out with a leg injury. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky's LSU Shot Has Real Upset Energy For One Big Reason
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The interesting part now is that this will be the first time a top-10 team has visited Kroger Field in the Will Stein era, which gives the matchup a different edge even before the ball is snapped. Kentucky has already shown it can pop up with a top-10 upset in 2023, 2024 and 2026, including one against a Lane Kiffin-coached team, so the question is less about whether the Wildcats have ever belonged in this kind of conversation and more about whether they can finally deliver another home breakthrough when it matters most. [Read more 🡒]
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The SECs new availability report is already giving Kentucky fans something concrete to scan ahead of the LSU matchup, and the early returns are a mixed bag. The Wildcats updated list shows linebacker Alex Afari Jr. and Antwan Smith as out, while defensive tackle Kalen Edwards lands in the doubtful category, a combination that leaves obvious questions for a defense trying to sort itself out before a tough conference test.
There is some relief in the same report, though, because wide receiver DJ Miller and longsnapper Cole Marszalek are expected to be available after dealing with their own uncertainty in recent weeks. Even with those small positives, the overall picture still matters for Kentuckys depth and game-day planning, and the rest of the report will be watched closely as kickoff gets closer. [Read more 🡒]