Mark Pope says Rick Pitino changed him forever

Pope is very grateful for the former Kentucky coach.

Oct 11, 2024; Lexington, KY, USA; Former Kentucky Wildcats head coach and current St. John's head coach Rick Pitino is introduced during Big Blue Madness at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Mark Pope is getting ready to begin his first season as the head coach at Kentucky, but before that, he was the captain of Kentucky's 1996 National Championship team in his playing days under Rick Pitino.

Last Friday at Big Blue Madness, Pope recognized the generations of former Kentucky players. Something that fans never thought they would see again was the return of Rick Pitino to Rupp Arena. Pope talked at SEC Media Day on Tuesday about just how much his former coach means to him.

"Coach Pitino is really personal to me. If you think about your life, you count on one hand the people that really, really, really changed you forever, and I love Coach Pitino for that. I'll be forever grateful for him. He changed the way that I see the world, and he changed the way that I walk into a room, and he changed the confidence that we approach challenges with. On top of all that, we got to share, as a team under his leadership, just the most extraordinary of extraordinary experiences together. He is a coach that is also on the Mount Rushmore of Kentucky basketball coaches, and that's really saying something. He took a program when it was in a really difficult spot, and took it back where it belongs: at the top of the college basketball mountain."

- Pope on how much Pitino means to him.

Pope knew how special it was for Pitino to come back in front of over 20,000 fans in Rupp Arena at Big Blue Madness. One word that stuck out in Pope's comments was that Pitino felt the gratitude from Big Blue Nation.

"It was really special for him to be able to walk into Rupp Arena and feel that from BBN, to feel their gratitude. We talk about gratitude every single day on our team. It's a really important part of what we do, and for Coach (Pitino) to feel the gratitude of BBN, for him, I thought was really special."

- Pope on Pitino's return to Rupp Arena.

With Pitino coming back to Rupp Arena, BBN has welcomed him back with open arms. That is someone that means the world to Mark Pope, and Big Blue Madness was certainly a special night.