Mark Pope Senses recruiting trail ahead of Year 2 at Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. — February 19, 2025 — In just his first season at the helm of Kentucky basketball, Mark Pope delivered results that, while not meeting his own lofty expectations, gave the program a significant boost. The Wildcats returned to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019, matched an NCAA record for victories over AP Top 15 opponents — including wins over several longtime rivals — and reenergized a passionate but fatigued fanbase.

The early success also began to reshape Kentucky’s recruiting landscape. As Pope enters his second year, he’s already noticing a shift in how prospects view the program. Speaking after two recent recruiting weekends, Pope reflected on how different the conversations are now compared to the ones he had when he first arrived.

“Last summer, the main thing on everyone’s mind was, ‘Who else is going to be on the team?’” Pope said. “We were building from the ground up. The other concern — sometimes spoken, sometimes just implied — was, ‘What is this program going to become now?’ We were following a Hall of Famer, with no wins or draft picks of our own yet. That uncertainty made some recruits hesitant.”

Some players, however, embraced the unknown and took a chance on Pope and his vision. Their decision paid off. Those early believers helped lay the foundation and overachieved, providing tangible evidence of what Pope’s system can accomplish. The results — a Sweet 16 run, major wins, and two players drafted into the NBA (including Koby Brea, who was far from a projected pro this time last year) — now serve as real proof of concept.

With that sample size in place, Pope says he’s already seeing a more confident and eager response from recruits, a promising sign as Kentucky looks to build on year one’s mmoment