I’M Leaning but i promise you one thing: Brock Vandagriff announce to coach Mark Pope After…

Once former Kentucky coach Rick Pitino endorsed the hiring of former UK player Mark Pope as the new Kentucky basketball coach, another former UK player expected fans to buy in like they did at Pope’s introductory press conference.

“It was probably a little more ( attendance wise) than I thought it might be but I knew it would be a big turnout,” said Scott Padgett, Pope’s former teammate at UK and now an assistant coach at Mississippi State. “I am glad the fans did that for Pope. I know some fans only knew what they had heard about Pope on social media but everything fans saw up there at the press conference, that is who he is.

“You will not find anybody who has met Pope who does not love him. He is high energy, passionate, funny. He is so intelligent. All you see and think about him is true.”

However, Padgett, a former head coach at Samford, hopes Kentucky fans also understand that Pope is a highly respected coach because of what he’s done the last nine years at Utah Valley and BYU.

“He has a great reputation in the business. A lot of coaches really think highly of Mark,” Padgett said. “He has infectious energy and positivity. He’s obviously very, very intelligent and that will help with recruiting. But he is a great X and O guy. He is just a big-time guy and coach.

“He is ahead of the game in how he uses analytics. He even has an algorithm of how you go out and recruit. I don’t know how many Rhodes Scholars candidates are out there now coaching but I suspect Mark is one of very few or maybe the only one.”

Pope has not coached in the SEC like Padgett but the Mississippi State assistant coach does not think it will take Pope long to adjust to the styles of play in the SEC or what each head coach does best.

“I expect him to attack it head on and not just walk into it. He will run into it and embrace the competition,” Padgett said. “He is a very smart and intelligent person. It will not take him too long to get the lay of the land and who he will be battling against not only on the court but in recruiting.”