Arkansas’ Calipari says Kentucky made right choice with Pope

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — As he prepares for his first season as Kentucky men’s basketball coach, Mark Pope will have a fan from afar: John Calipari.

Calipari, who left Kentucky in March for the Arkansas opening, said his former school made the “perfect” choice when it hired Pope, the captain of the Wildcats’ 1995-96 squad that won a national title under Rick Pitino, as its new head coach. Calipari and Pope have had a relationship that has continued amid their recent changes.

Except for the lone meeting between Arkansas and Kentucky on Feb. 1 in Lexington, Calipari said he’ll be supportive of his replacement.

“I think they hired a perfect guy for that job,” Calipari said Tuesday at SEC media day. “And part of it is because he played there, graduated from there. He has a heart for the place, and he has an idea of what that is. … It’s a different place if you’re just walking in. He’s been there and understands it.”

When asked about his decision to leave Kentucky amid a turbulent finish that included two first-round exits in the past three NCAA tournaments, Calipari said those interested could read his past comments.

“I’ve talked about why I did what I did,” he said. “I’ve talked, so what I want to do today is talk about the SEC. This league has gotten ridiculously hard. I want to talk about my team, my roster. But I’ve talked about all that stuff. I mean, you can look it up and see what I’ve said. It’s going to be me saying it over again.”

Calipari praised Pope, a sentiment the former BYU coach had echoed earlier in the day about Calipari.

“He’s a Hall of Fame coach, as a die-hard Kentucky fan and a player,” Pope said. “I’m grateful for everything he’s done for our university. He’s also been a good friend. He is a terrific mentor. We’ve gone through our coaching journey, and so we wish him the best in everything he does and we’ll be grateful for everything that he did at Kentucky. We’ll be cheering for him [except on] Feb. 1st.”

At Arkansas, Calipari said he’ll need time to build his culture. And while players like ex-Florida Atlantic star Johnell Davis and former five-star recruit DJ Wagner have eased the transition, overall, Calipari said he’s focused on where he’s at, not what he left behind.

“I am fully immersed in what I’m doing,” Calipari said. “You won’t believe this. I’m doing a lot of stuff, and I don’t have time for any of the other stuff, any of the things out there, but I’ll be rooting for [Pope]. Come on, man. Fifteen years, I gave my heart and soul I want them to do well.”