According to Isaac Trotter of CBS Sports, Kentucky’s Mark Pope is one of college basketball most innovative offensive coaches.
Trotter says Pope is a bit of a mad scientist, noting that more than half of BYU’s shots last season came from the three-point line.
Here is an excerpt:
Mark Pope, Kentucky
New Kentucky coach Mark Pope is a bit of a mad scientist. The former BYU coach knew he had to be different to survive in the Big 12, so Pope unleashed an offense that shot 50.4% of its attempts from beyond the arc.
It was just the third time in the KenPom era that a high-major team attempted more 3s than 2s, joining 2017-18 Washington State and 2018-19 Villanova. Having something in common with Jay Wright is a pretty good thing.
Pope found something by inverting the floor with big man Aly Khalifa who could step out and drill a 3-pointer, but most importantly, pass the rock. Kentucky should be able to emulate that a little bit with a passing big man like Amari Williams and a horde of shooters, headlined by Jaxson Robinson and Koby Brea.
Kentucky hopes Pope is its version of Oats at Alabama. Oats is a champion of the “Rim & 3” rate, something that John Calipari did not embrace during his tenure.
Kentucky’s Rim & 3 rate, per Shot Quality
2023-24: 79%, 227th nationally
2022-23: 70%, 356th nationally
2021-22: 65%, 352nd nationally
2020-21: 67%, 329th nationally
2019-20: 67%, 342nd nationally
Compare that to where Pope finished in Rim & 3 rate, per Shot Quality.
2023-24: 87%, 43rd nationally
2022-23: 83%, 98th nationally
2021-22: 73%, 291st nationally
2020-21: 75%, 223rd nationally
2019-20: 77%, 203rd nationally
As you can see, Pope didn’t also fully embrace that “Rim or 3” philosophy until the last few years. Part of that was personnel. Part of that could also be a hint of changing his style.
Change is also coming to Lexington because things are about to look vastly different.
