Not Everyone Agrees About Mark Pope’s $250,000 Boost as Calls Mount Against Kentucky’s Major Front Office Decision

Mark Pope had almost rejected Kentucky’s offer. Standing alone in his room, the coach had wondered if he’d even be the right person to take over what John Calipari had left behind. “You never follow a legend, right?” he had asked himself, before concluding: “You never follow a legend.” Yet, there were two thoughts that kept lingering in his mind. First was how Pope had played for the Wildcats during the 1995 and 1996 seasons, winning two SEC Championships, and a national championship, and how accepting the position would be a second chance at making history.

The second thought—call it serendipity or coincidence—was how merely 24 hours before Calipari had resigned, Pope had met him and former coach Tubby Smith at his hotel during the Final Four in Phoenix last April. “It was really surreal. Now that I look back on it, I can see how people might have said, ‘They must have been plotting something’,” Smith had later joked. In the end, though, the former BYU coach decided to take the leap of faith. The task was tall. He’d have to catch up to Calipari’s national title run, along with four trips to the Final Four in five years. Safe to say that Pope brought about a surge of excitement, and a lot of tangible success to begin with, as the team competed in a super-tough SEC lineup and placed sixth in the conference. However, there were definite bumps in the road.

There was a certain sense of hope for the Big Blue Nation associated with Pope. Even through constant comparisons with Calipari, who had left after an embarrassing loss to Oakland the previous year, the Wildcats head coach stayed calm and focused on what he could do. And evidently, it worked! Kentucky boasted of wins against Duke and Louisville in non-conference games, and bested teams like Florida and Texas A&M in league play. We’re not sure what more Mark Pope could have asked for in his first season. He led the Kentucky Wildcats to their first Sweet 16 since 2019 and made sure that everyone knew that Kentucky basketball is back! No wonder, the front office was eager to give the head coach the raise he deserved…

Starting with his contract, he’s set to earn $27.5 million over the course of five years, with a base salary of $5 million and a $250k stepper. However, his Sweet 16 heroics just earned him another hefty extension! As per CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, “Kentucky’s Mark Pope received an automatic one-year contract extension after the Wildcats made the Sweet 16, according to a team official. Pope’s contract now runs through the 2029-30 season, with a $250,000 salary increase set for the final year of the deal.” What does it mean? Well, the 52-year-old coaching veteran is set to earn $6.25 million in his sixth year as head coach.

But, surprisingly, the response from the NCAA community has been quite mixed. Even though Pope had a brilliant first year at Kentucky, he still didn’t quite meet the expectations fans had. But what exactly do they feel about the Wildcats’ head coach getting a contract extension? Let’s find out.

Fans call out Kentucky front office for Mark Pope’s contract extension

Social media went wild after Mark Pope’s contract extension was announced, with fans unsure about the move. Obviously, the Wildcats head coach had a brilliant first year, about as good as one could hope for, but it still didn’t satisfy the Big Blue Nation. Fans rushed online to talk about it, and it wasn’t all positive chatter.

Particularly, fans called out the double standards that the Kentucky program was showing. Wildcats fans aren’t supposed to count anything under a natty, but they’re willing to extend a coaching contract because of a Sweet 16 appearance? It just didn’t make sense to some fans.

“So a sweet 16 is a good accomplishment, Ky fans will be in shambles cause Dey told me it wasn’t.” A fan said on X. It was a popular sentiment, as similar reactions started rolling in! “I was told by Kentucky fans that Sweet Sixteens don’t mean anything.” Another user said.

Top Comment by Larry Stone

A step up!

Share your take

Debate

Some people in the NCAA community don’t believe in Pope all that much. After all, fans expect nothing but the best from the Wildcats and their coaching staff. “Pray for Kentucky.” A supporter said after the news of the contract extension broke, while another made snide comments about their Sweet 16 exit. “What kind of extension does he get if Nate Oats isn’t his daddy?” The fan said, referencing the heart-breaking 102-97 loss to Alabama in January this year.

One fan summed up the public perception of this news quite well. “Mediocrity is now rewarded at Ky.” Frankly, the Big Blue Nation is quite hard to please. They turn heroes into villains overnight, and don’t think too hard about what a coach has done for them in the past. We’ve seen it with Calipari, and we’re seeing it with Pope.

However, it seems like Mark Pope is not fazed by any of the negative chatter. He has turned his attention towards the coming season—going all in on recruitment and the development of the players that are returning. If he keeps this positive attitude and dedication towards the program, there’s no doubt that the Big Blue Nation will be headed towards even more prosperity next season!