"He’s got great energy, great passion" - College hoops insider backs Kentucky HC Mark Pope to succeed in "crazy" SEC

Mark Pope is preparing hard for his first season as the Kentucky Wildcats' coach. There is a huge expectation on the former Wildcat to replicate the success from his time in Lexington, specifically, when he captained the team to the 1996 NCAA Championship.

While there might be a few doubters, college basketball analyst Seth Greenberg gave Mark Pope his stamp of approval. In an interview with Kentucky Sports Radio, Greenberg said:

"I think they ended up with a guy who I think is a perfect fit. I like Mark. He’s got great energy, great passion for the university. He understands what Kentucky is. ... He’s a really good offensive basketball coach — very, very creative."

Seth Greenberg also shared his take on the roster and what to expect in the upcoming season.

“He recruited players that fit his system, which is the key to coaching a system. But this league is crazy,” the analyst said. “You could go 12-8 (in the SEC) and have a really good team. 12-8 with this fanbase, with this expectation? He’s gonna have to have some thick skin. It’s just the way it is. I think he’s got the personality to handle it, but it’s a different job.

“You can’t let static become a distraction. You tell the players they can’t let static become a distraction, but you’ve got to block that out as a coach, too. You’ve got to live that, especially today, because social media and everything — especially here," he added.

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Mark Pope's roster for the upcoming college basketball season

Following John Calipari's exit, the entire Wildcats roster either entered the transfer portal or declared for the NBA draft. This gave Mark Pope the opportunity to rebuild the roster and he mostly relied on the transfer portal.

Pope added Koby Brea, Lamont Butler, Kerr Kriisa, Otega Oweh, Jaxson Robinson, Ansley Almonor, Andrew Carr, Amari Williams and center Brandon Garrison from the portal. Kentucky signed Collin Chandler, Trent Noah and Travis Perry as the incoming freshman. There are a few more pieces that Mark Pope could add but for now, the Wildcats are set.

As per basketball statistician Evan Miyakawa, Kentucky was one of the few teams that used the portal extremely well to form a well-rounded roster.

"Considering they lost their entire roster and had to start from scratch, it's really impressive," Miyakawa told The Courier Journal. "I think they've gotten guys who fit Mark Pope's coaching style. I think they've got a mix of good offensive and defensive players."

"I think the rotation is going to be one of the strongest in the SEC. From an analytics perspective, there's a lot to love here."

What are your thoughts and predictions for Mark Pope's new roster? Let us know in the comment section below.