Mark Pope says Kentucky has "elite level kids" in the program

Pope knows how much the players care about each other.

Nov 9, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope talks with guard Jaxson Robinson (2) after the game against the Bucknell Bison at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

A lot of times, basketball is bigger than the sport alone. That's exactly the type of people Mark Pope is getting to join the Kentucky program when he goes out to recruit. It started with this year's Kentucky roster, but Pope says there is "elite level kids" in this program.

They are not just great players, but they're also special human beings, who are selfless and care about one another. He talked about that when speaking to the media on Thursday after saying, "It's a joy to coach here, and hopefully it will continue to be a joy for BBN."

"We have great young men in this program. I'm talking about elite level kids, like, really special people. It's fun. You know, I got to sit next to Otega (Oweh) and Andrew Carr postgame after our last game, and just listen to them answer questions, and them talk about what this program and what it means for them to be here, and It's beautiful actually. These are kids that are seeing something way bigger than just themselves and care about the right things. It's guys that I want to coach. It's the way this should be. It's guys that are in the middle of tremendous careers and are gonna have great professional careers, and then go on and do even more important things after that. That's what we're surrounded with in our locker room right now."

- Pope on this team being selfless.

Pope says that is also the case with the three guys they have signed in the 2025 recruiting class, which is Jasper Johnson, Malachi Moreno, and Acaden Lewis.

"Our filters are really high in terms of bringing in great people. Not perfect people. We all screw up and make mistakes and do things like that. But, people who are actually eagerly trying to grow as human beings, so that's number one. Number two, I think we've got elite level basketball players. All three of these guys that have jumped in so far are all top talent, top-level guys in the country right now. They've all proven it. They've all done it in different ways. Then the third thing is they fit us. They fit the way we play on the basketball court. Their skillset really, really vibes with we want to attack this game."

- Pope on recruiting "great people."

All three of Kentucky's current signees know what they signed up for, and representing Kentucky the right way and playing selfless with each will be important for their success in Lexington.