PROVO, Utah – Mark Pope has accepted the head coaching position at his alma mater, Kentucky.
“We want to thank Coach Pope for all that he has given to the BYU men’s basketball program in his nine years here as an assistant and head coach," BYU Director of Athletics Tom Holmoe said. "His unique combination of passion, dedication, creativity and excitement has inspired our BYU community. He led our team to a very successful inaugural Big 12 season, and left the program in a position of strength moving forward. There is a lot for Cougar Nation to be excited about right now. We wish Mark all the best as the head coach at his alma mater. He will always be a part of our BYU family.”
Pope guided the Cougars to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances, making him one of seven coaches in program history with multiple trips to the Big Dance. He won 20 or more games in four of his five seasons in Provo, including 24 victories in 2019-20 and 2021-22. Pope went 110-52 during his tenure at BYU, including a 66-12 record at the Marriott Center.
This past season, Pope guided the Cougars to a 23-11 record, including a 10-8 record in Big 12 play where they finished fifth after being picked to finish 13th in the preseason poll. BYU won three of its program-record four ranked wins in league play, including handing No. 7 Kansas its only loss at Allen Fieldhouse in 2023-24.
Under his tutelage, 10 different Cougars earned all-conference accolades, highlighted by Jaxson Robinson being named the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year this past season. BYU ranked in the Top 5 in the nation in 3-point field goals per game, 3-point field goal percentage, assists per game and assist-to-turnover ratio during his tenure.