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Finally a coach with the courage to admit that he does look ahead just a bit.
We all know Kentucky coach Mark Pope is not afraid to think out of the box. He’s called for a 40-game regular season and limiting reviews during games recently.
Now he’s admitted that the Kentucky coaching staff has actually looked ahead and speculated about postseason possibilities just like all of us do.
“We’re doing it a lot because it’s just fun. These little websites where you go and say, if they win, and they win, and they win. It’s like a mind-numbing endeavor,” Pope said. “It’s March. This is the best.
“I think sometimes we might misread that there’s a difference between fans and players and coaches and there’s really not except if it’s conceivable as a staff and as a group of players that we might be more excited about everything that comes with the postseason than BBN, which seems impossible, right?”
Darn right it seems impossible but how refreshing to hear a coach admit that he’s excited and curious about what might lie ahead. It doesn’t take away from game preparation — it just shows that Pope and his staff are not that much different from the rest of us.
One week from now, the chaos will be upon us; in hearing Mark Pope wax poetic about the frenetic schedule, it’s clear he can’t wait. Thankfully, this team includes plenty of veterans who are used to the madness of the postseason too, which could come in handy as the Cats try to make a run.
“These conference tournaments are great. And being in the SEC now, in the best conference in the country, in the biggest tournament in the country, one of the things especially this is just back to back to back to back to back,” Pope said. “There are no in-between days. It’s a fever pitch, going from game one to game two to game three.
“It’s all teams and fanbases that you’re intimately familiar with, and, in a lot of times, have a beef with and history with and some frustration with, or some ownership of, or whatever. It’s a really unique dynamic. It’s really special.”
Pope wants his team to be “ambitious, aggressive and focused” for postseason play that starts next week in Nashville at the SEC Tournament.
“It’s everything at hyper-warp speed, right? God willing, you win your first game, and you roll back to the hotel and get everyone treatment and all the emotion is gone, and you’re immediately focused on prepping for the next game, which is going to happen in 22 hours.” Pope said.
“And it’s a beautiful thing. It’s so condensed. So we love it. And we’ll stay laser-focused on it, see where we get.”
2 Responses
Yes!! A coach that looks forward to the challenge, who embraces his team and just enjoys coaching them at every chance. The SEC Tournament is not a hassle, it’s a dream!
Yes, it’s fun! For the first time in years.