Mark Pope was employed by Kentucky to succeed John Calipari. That ought to be alright.
Really, no.
It’s not good optics when the school flogged its job in front of prominent coaches like Scott Drew and Dan Hurley and was told no. In five seasons in Provo, Pope has led BYU to three top-20 KenPom finishes, demonstrating his skill as a coach. His offenses are creative, entertaining, and they shoot a ton of threes. If everything is done correctly, it should be easy to locate skilled players who are eager to give them a shot.
There is, however, a deeper philosophical debate surrounding the choice to hire a coach with Pope’s background. Experience suggests that positions such as Kentucky’s should be focused on developing players rather than hiring them. There are no perfect analogs when it comes to hiring coaches; each position is unique at the time it is created, with strengths and weaknesses specific to the environment and circumstances of the moment. To use Kentucky as an example, the institution is not what it was five years ago, had the rumors about John Calipari’s interest in NBA jobs gained more traction.
