Kentucky coach Mark Pope addressed the rumor mill on social media circles concerning his team’s locker room behavior during a loss at Louisville earlier this month, something Pope termed as a distracting moment for his squad.
Pope said there was “nothing there” and added he loves coaching through adversity. He added that rumors of discontentment behind the scenes is “not even close to our issue.”
“I know there might be some consternation out there, but I love it,” Pope said. “I love it when you have to find your way through it and where guys are forced to really, not just look at each other and love each other, but lean on each other and bail each other out. We have guys that are going to be able to accomplish great stuff.”
The problems, especially in losses to the Cardinals and Michigan State, Pope said, are attributed to the growth factor on and off the court.
“For every team in America, there’s a – like for every team in the world, for every team I’ve ever been on, there’s always a sense of like this growth,” he said. “The more you can love each other, the more you can sacrifice for each other, the more you care about each other. It comes as you work on it. Loving is – loving is not something that happens. Loving is a verb that you actively do, right? I think this group is extraordinary. I think we’re going to be great together.”
Pope added the Wildcats also just “haven’t played well" through the first five contests.
“We’ve had a couple of really discouraging losses,” the Kentucky coach said. “It’s not what we’re going to be. It’s not who we are. I don’t think it has anything to do with chemistry. I think it has to do with playing well and playing the game well and understanding how to play the game well and believing in how to play the game well. … I think this team — I think these guys care about each other. They love each other. They’ve served together.”
The overall team chemistry is also a process that Pope said is an ongoing process on and off the court.
“I would say that we have a really special foundation of a team with great chemistry, and we’re going to continue to evolve,” Pope said. “So I should have said that more concisely, but I don’t think that’s our issue at all right now. I wouldn’t say that’s even close to our issue. I don’t think that pops up on my radar at all. This is a really special group of guys that are trying to find themselves right now.”
INJURY UPDATE
Kentucky guard Jaland Lowe will miss his third straight game this season Friday night and it remains unclear whether or not he will return to the court,
“We're still in consultation, still seeing how rehab goes,” Pope said. “Right now, it's just a matter of (whether) he get to a place where he feels some stability and some strength. I wish I had better answers, but it really is a day-to-day kind of process to see where he ends up and he's got really good mobility right now. It’s just a matter of stability and strength and kind of see what we get and take another swing at it if we can.”
Pope added that Mohoumed Dioubate is questionable for Friday after tweaking his ankle in the loss to Michigan State earlier this week.
“I would think there's probably some significant chance he won't play, but he's tough, he's tough as nails, so he might play,” Pope said. “I don't think he's going to go old school and just go straight toward it all. I don't think we're allowed to do that anymore, but he's pretty tough.”
GAMETRACKER: Loyola (Md.) at Kentucky, 6 p.m. CT, Friday. TV/Radio: SECN+ and UK Radio Network on 94.7 The Mix and WiLLiE 102. Coverage: www.kentuckytoday.com
Kentucky coach Mark Pope talks to the media during a press conference Thursday at Memorial Coliseum. (Keith Taylor/Kentucky Today)
