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Mark Pope
American basketball player and coach (born 1972) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Mark Edward Pope (born September 11, 1972) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team.
![]() Pope in 2019 | |
Kentucky Wildcats | |
---|---|
Position | Head coach |
League | Southeastern Conference |
Personal information | |
Born | (1972-09-11) September 11, 1972 (age 51) Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. |
Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Newport (Bellevue, Washington) |
College |
|
NBA draft | 1996: 2nd round, 52nd overall pick |
Selected by the Indiana Pacers | |
Playing career | 1997–2005 |
Position | Power forward / small forward |
Number | 43, 41 |
Coaching career | 2009–present |
Career history | |
As player: | |
1996–1997 | Anadolu Efes S.K. |
1997–1999 | Indiana Pacers |
1999 | La Crosse Bobcats |
1999–2000 | Ülkerspor |
2000–2002 | Milwaukee Bucks |
2002–2003 | New York Knicks |
2003–2005 | Denver Nuggets |
As coach: | |
2009–2010 | Georgia (assistant) |
2010–2011 | Wake Forest (assistant) |
2011–2015 | BYU (assistant) |
2015–2019 | Utah Valley |
2019–2024 | BYU |
2024–present | Kentucky |
Career highlights and awards | |
Career statistics | |
Points | 285 (1.9 ppg) |
Assists | 63 (0.4 apg) |
Rebound | 161 (1.7 rpg) |
Stats ![]() | |
Stats ![]() | |
As a player, Pope played power forward and small forward. He was Pac-10 Freshman of the Year with the Washington Huskies and then transferred to Kentucky, where he served as a team captain of the Wildcats' 1996 NCAA national championship team. After college, Pope spent almost a decade playing professionally in the U.S. and internationally.
Pope has held various coaching roles at the collegiate level. Immediately prior to taking the helm at his alma mater, he was head coach of the BYU Cougars of the Big 12 Conference.