Mark Pope reacts as Kentucky offers $400,000 contract extension to assistant coach Mikhail McLean

Kentucky coach Mark Pope expressed excitement over the report that assistant coach Mikhail McLean signed a two-year contract extension with the Wildcats, keeping him with the team through the 2026-27 season.

The 33-year-old Houston alum will make $400,000 as base salary for the 2025-26 season and $425,000 for the 2026-27 season. Pope believes that 'the sky's the limit' for the young assistant coach.

"He is going to be a head coach sooner than any of us would imagine. And he’s going to crush it," Pope told Lexington Herald-Leader. "He’s been a real blessing to our entire staff and our entire team."

Last season, McLean focused on the Wildcats' frontcourt, and Pope credited him with developing big men Amari Williams and Brandon Garrison.

"Coach McLean has been with those guys every step of the way, mentoring, tutoring, teaching, and growing them. (He’s) coaching them on the court, coaching them in the classroom, and in their life," Pope said.

This season, Garrison will be back and he'll have new frontcourt mates in 6-foot-10 forward Jayden Quaintance, 6-11 forward Andrija Jelavic, and 6-11 center Malachi Moreno. Like Garrison, Quaintance, Jelavic, and Moreno will experience what it's like to work with assistant coach Mikhail McLean.

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Kentucky to play Purdue in an exhibition game

Kentucky will have a formidable foe for its exhibition game on Oct. 24 at Rupp Arena. Last season, Mark Pope's Wildcats played scrimmages against Kentucky Wesleyan and Minnesota State Mankato for their tuneup games and won by an average of 51 points.

This season, they chose to meet a possible Top 10 team in Purdue. Fox Sports college basketball reporter John Fanta listed the Boilermakers as the team to beat for the 2025-26 season, while the Wildcats are ranked eighth in his list.

The game, albeit a tune-up for both teams, will benefit Kentucky's guards and big men to test their level against Purdue's best player, Braden Smith, who is seen by many as one of the top candidates for the Player of the Year award.

Aside from Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn, Fletcher Loyer, Gicarri Harris, CJ Cox, and Daniel Jacobsen are set to return for the Boilermakers. Matt Painter also picked up quality players from the transfer portal in Oscar Cluff and Liam Murphy, and signed up Omer Mayer and Antoine West Jr from the high school ranks.

Kentucky (24-12) made it to the Sweet 16 last season, beating Troy and Illinois in the first two rounds before losing to SEC rival Tennessee 78-65.