Mark Pope believes any renovations at Rupp Arena have to be respectful of the Kentucky basketball tradition. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Rupp Arena is one of the more respected college basketball venues in the country but also does not have the amenities or revenue potential that many newer arenas across the country have.
Kentucky coach Mark Pope played in Rupp Arena when he helped UK win the 1996 national championship but not a lot has changed in the 30 years since then. Pope was asked about keeping the balance between respecting tradition but also trying to maximize revenue in a time when all colleges are looking for additional revenue.
“There is not an easy answer there. You are always going to be threading the needle. You can’t be held hostage by sentimentality and tradition but you have to honor it,” Pope said.
“It’s just like most things in life, it’s both. You’ve got to find a way to move forward. We should be leading the way, which we do. (UK athletics director) Mitch (Barnhart) and President (Eli) Capilouto are leading the way in so many incredible ways, so we want to keep leading the way with innovation and kind of being the forward thinking group.”
Pope believes the “real answer” is to do that but also honor tradition at the same time.
“We have to find a way to do that where we are really, really emphasizing the beauty of this building that’s been here and celebrated with great teams for so long,” he said.
One of those great teams certainly was the 1996 national championship team that produced nine future NBA players. Kentucky fans are hoping for another national championship contender this season but the team is not overloaded with individual talent like his 1996 team was.
“I think this team has a ton of potential. We are not runaway good. We are just team great. We can be team great if we lean into each other and lean into what we do,” Pope said. “We are not going to just dominate people just because our individual talent is overwhelming. I actually love coaching this team that way.”
He hopes his team will love embracing defense and draw energy from success on the defensive end.
“It will give us a chance to be special. We can do it. If we can ever get to a point where we like … we don’t even care if we score. We are getting a stop every single time down the floor, that would be actually a really fun team to coach,” Pope said. “This team, I don’t know if we are built exactly that way but we might be built close. It’s a pretty fun way to play. It could be great.”
3 Responses
I’m guessing the highly ranked recruits are looking at UK’s roster and envision 6 or 7 returnees. At least I HOPE that’s the reason.
Read between the lines.. This team is compromised defensively and Michigan St is going to give them headaches.
MSU will tell us volumes about our team. Another Louisville type performance will be concerning. Better free throw shooting and fewer turnovers would help make up for our poor pick and roll defense. Rebounding, one of our strengths, will be tested. Dioubate needs to work the paint and leave the 3 point shooting to others. Can Aberdeen, Chandler, and Noah continue their hot 3 point shooting? If Jelavic and Williams find their shot behind the arc, we will be a tough out. Johnson needs to pass first and shoot when wide open. I still think we have the makings of a very good team if everyone plays as a team and contributes based on their strengths. This will not be a team that Oweh can thrive on. Will he let the game come to him or play hero ball? This will be a bell weather game for sure.
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