John Clay: For Kentucky men's and women's basketball, something old feels new again

John Clay, Lexington Herald-Leader on Oct 10, 2024

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LEXINGTON, Ky. — We like new things. New is fresh. New is clean. New is fun. Better yet, new can provide the possibility of something different, something better. New can give us hope.

For all its embedded history and timeless traditions, Kentucky basketball feels brand new all over again.

That’s true for both men’s and women’s Kentucky basketball.

Unless you’ve spent the past seven months living in a cave somewhere, you know that Kentucky basketball has a pair of new head coaches. Mark Pope is UK’s new men’s basketball coach. Kenny Brooks is UK’s new women’s basketball coach.

The two held their first media days in their new jobs Tuesday at Memorial Coliseum. They did so back-to-back. Pope spoke first, followed by his players doing interviews on the Joe Craft Center practice court. Brooks went next, with his players doing interviews at UK’s newly renovated women’s basketball locker room, film room and lounge.

What was striking about this nearly side-by-side comparison was how many similarities there are between the two programs, similarities that go beyond just the basic fact that each is being led by a new person.

First and foremost is excitement. On the men’s side, there’s tangible enthusiasm and excitement about Pope returning to his alma mater with a different personality and approach than his predecessor. On the women’s side, there’s tangible enthusiasm and excitement about Brooks arriving with a Final Four resume that promises a chance at more success than was achieved by his predecessor.

“I think the biggest thing is just the welcoming from Big Blue Nation,” Brooks said. “Everyone has been so interested in what we’re doing.”

A member of UK’s 1996 national championship team, Pope said being at other places had made him “recognize that Kentucky is different than any other place in the country.”

Meanwhile, Brooks said that despite his success at Virginia Tech he could walk around Blacksburg largely unrecognized. Not here. Target. Pet Smart. Didn’t matter. People stopped him. Talked to him. Wanted to meet him.

Then there’s roster construction. Both coaches basically had to start from scratch. The UK men return literally zero players from last season. The UK women return two. And in assembling a roster for 2024-25, both men said the same thing: They were not nearly as interested in adding the best players as they were in adding the right players.

Said Brooks, “I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish in six months.

Said Pope, “I’m really excited about our guys.”

Both coaches said “we have great kids.” Both coaches said they have “hard workers.” Both coaches admitted they were not sure how good their first Kentucky teams will be, yet both coaches promised their teams would progress as the season progressed.

“They’re going to make a huge impact on Kentucky basketball,” Pope predicted.

“I love the potential of this team,” Brooks said.

Both coaches showed their personalities. Pope actually attempted to answer every question, which wasn’t always the case with the previous coach, who often brought his own message to such question-and-answer sessions. Not a knock, just a fact. Brooks showed his sense of humor. He began his turn at the head table by taking a picture of the assembled media.

“When I tell my wife how many people are here, I want to have proof,” he said.

There were a lot of media members at both press conferences. It is basketball in Kentucky, after all. Even with that, considering the circumstances, there seems to be a whole new level of interest (and excitement) in both programs for this season.

And both UK men and UK women will share the stage again Friday for Big Blue Madness. Brooks called the event legendary, but said he would not be riding in on a motorcycle or dropping from the rafters. Pope said, yes, he’s excited about the LED glass floor, but “the best thing about it is we’re all in the same building together.”

Bottom line: We may not know for sure what’s going to happen this debut season for both coaches, but we are certainly interested in finding out what’s going to happen.

After all, what’s old feels new again.

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