Elite recruits now buying what Kentucky's Mark Pope is selling

When Mark Pope was named new Kentucky head coach last spring, he didnt have much to sell recruits.

After all, he had never won an NCAA Tournament game or produced a single NBA Draft pick.

My, how things have changed.

Not only did Pope lead the Wildcats to its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2019, he scored his first NBA Draft picks as guard Koby Brea and center Amari Williams were selected in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft.

In doing so, Pope preserved a pair of NBA Draft streaks for Kentucky: at least one player selected in 18 straight drafts dating back to 2008 and multiple picks in 16 straight drafts going back to 2010.

In Popes first season, Kentucky went 24-12 overall and 10-8 in the SEC despite losing second-leading scorer Jaxson Robinson and backup point guard Kerr Kriisa to season-ending injuries while starting point guard Lamont Butler missed nine games with a shoulder injury and starting forward Andrew Carr played much of the season at less than 100% due to a lingering back injury.

In the process, the Wildcats tied an NCAA record with eight wins over teams ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press Top 25, including No.

6 Duke, No.

7 Gonzaga, No.

6 Florida, No.

14 Mississippi State, No.

11 Texas A&M, No.

8 Tennessee, No.

5 Tennessee and No.

15 Missouri.

UK set a new single-season record for made 3-pointers with 341 while shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc, and for the first time in school history, had six players average double figures in scoring.

Its 3,040 total points scored ranks seventh in school history and the Cats also recorded 607 assists, good enough for ninth on the schools single-season list.

Kentucky ranked seventh nationally in scoring, averaging 84.4 points per game.

And recruits have taken notice.

The Wildcats are firmly in the mix with 10 of the top 20 high school prospects in the 2026 class, including but not limited to No.

1 overall prospect Tyran Stokes, Christian Collins (No.

4), Caleb Holt (No.

6), Anthony Thompson (No.

9), Taylen Kinney (No.

11), Deron Rippey Jr.

(No.

17), and Ikenna Alozie (No.

20), all of whom have or are expected to take official visits to Kentucky.

Pope said Monday UKs aura with top talent is completely different than it was a year ago.

Yes.

The answer is yes, Pope said plainly.

Last year, the under-riding kind of thing was, Whats it going to be? Youre coming in here with nothing to show after a hall of famer left.

Some people were brave enough to address that head-on and some people, it was an underlying kind of vibe that you knew you had to hit hard.

I think thats so different now.

For the second straight offseason, Pope inked a top-5 transfer class, which features five of the top 65 prospects in the portal according to 247Sports.

Now, the next step for Pope is proving he can land elite high school basketball talent.

Pope now says recruits are buying what hes selling.

I think the feel here is that were squarely in the process of accomplishing special things here, Pope said.

I think thats generally the vibe and I think people have faith in Kentucky Basketball and thats the way it should be and has always been..

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