LATEST HIGHLIGHT: Mark Pope’s life and misery are reviewed after arriving at……..
LATEST HIGHLIGHT: Mark Pope’s life and sorrow are discussed as he arrives at……..
What a week for Kentucky basketball.
UK supporters awoke two Sundays ago, fully expecting John Calipari to return to Lexington for his 16th season as Wildcats head coach.
By that night, Big Blue Nation was in a frenzy, with rumors circulating that its veteran leader was planning to leave the program for the same post at SEC rival Arkansas. And exactly one week later, Mark Pope was the Wildcats’ new head coach, having recently presided over one of the most remarkable pep rallies in college basketball history. Quite a bit happened.
In a letter dated April 9 and sent to UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart — obtained by the Herald-Leader via an open records request — the former UK coach officially informed his boss that he was stepping down. “Dear Mitch, Please accept this letter as notice that I will resigning (sic) my position as head basketball coach at the University of Kentucky.
My final day of work will be today, April 9th. Thank you for the support and opportunities you have provided me over the course of the last fifteen (15) years. I am committed to making this transition as smooth as possible. “I wish you and the University of Kentucky continued success. Sincerely, John Calipari.”
Records show that the letter was marked “read” at 2 p.m., around the same time he released a video on social media publicly announcing his departure. With that, the Calipari era was officially over. And then things got a little crazy.
