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Head coach Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats had a good first season with him leading the team. After over a decade with John Calipari leading the Wildcats, they underwent a coaching change, and Pope took over. In his first season as head coach, he led the team to its first appearance in the Sweet 16 since the 2018 season.
The Wildcats will be hoping to improve on their Sweet 16 appearance next season. To do that, Pope will be looking for internal growth from some of his young players. Notably, former four-star recruit Collin Chandler is someone Pope will be looking at to take a step forward.
In his freshman season, Chandler appeared in 30 games, but only for an average of 10.4 minutes per game. As a result, his statline was limited to 2.7 points and 1.0 rebounds per game. Mark Pope had his first chance to speak to the media this offseason on Tuesday and heaped praise on the 6' 5" guard's work ethic (starts at 6:58).
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"Collin Chandler is going to be a great example. I mean, he's, he's so hungry right now. He's been working really, really hard. I think he, you know, I don't know how many workouts he did on his wedding day, but I'm guessing it was more than one, and he just is, he just is, he's going to have a really special, special year next year."
Mark Pope sees superstar potential in four-star recruit Jasper Johnson
Another young player who could play a critical role for Mark Pope and the Wildcats next season is Jasper Johnson. Johnson is the No. 18-ranked recruit in the 2025 class, according to ESPN, and narrowly misses out on being classified as a five-star recruit. However, missing that mark does nothing to take away from how his coach feels about him heading into his freshman season.
"I think Jasper Johnson is a superstar. I expect him to come in here and be great," Pope said at his press conference. "And for every freshman, there is a learning curve in terms of the physicality and intensity of the game, the relentless physicality and intensity of the game. But Jasper Johnson has got a really, really incredible skill set. He’s one of those guys."
Johnson is a scoring guard who is capable of shooting from any distance. It will be interesting to see if Pope makes any adjustments to his coaching style with new players in his second season as head coach.
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