Mark Pope is an intriguing hire for Kentucky even with thin resume

The University of Kentucky has its new men's basketball coach, officially announcing the hiring of BYU's Mark Pope on Friday night to replace John Calipari following the latter's departure to Arkansas. 

Pope was definitely not Kentucky's first choice, but several of the top coaches in the nation – including Scott Drew (Baylor), Dan Hurley (Connecticut), Nate Oats (Alabama) and even Billy Donovan of the Chicago Bulls – showed zero interest in the job. It is also a rather uninspiring hire on the surface when you consider the thinness of Pope's resume.

But that does not necessarily mean it is a bad hire. At least not yet.

While Pope lacks NCAA Tournament success and major results, he is going to bring an energetic and exciting brand of basketball to Lexington featuring pace and a huge reliance on the three-point game. Those were his team's calling cards at BYU and they helped earn the program NCAA Tournament bids in two of the past four seasons, plus a spot in the top-25 in four of his five years with the program.

The lack of tournament success is a big red flag however, especially going into a program like Kentucky where the goal isn't just appearing in the NCAA Tournament, but actually going far and competing for national championships.

Pope has never won a single tournament game as a head coach in the NCAA. 

While he is entering an environment where that sort of resume is not going to last long, he is also entering a situation that should give him something he hasn't had to work with before – a major program that is a draw for the biggest and best recruits in the country. Especially with NIL money now in play.

Pope's system and offense can definitely put points on the board even without elite talent. If he can bring that to Kentucky and get top-tier talent to fit into it he might have a chance to make this work. 

At this point though it is all still hope and potential. It has to actually work on the floor.