Mark Pope has fond memories of Indianapolis.
He played two seasons for the Indiana Pacers and coach Larry Bird and cherishes his time with the team during what he considers a “really tremendous era of basketball.”
“I’m the most blessed human being in the world that I got to be here on those great Indiana Pacers teams in this tremendous city, playing for Larry Bird and Rick Carlisle and the whole crew,” Pope said. “I’ll never forget it.
"The Pacers drafted me. It was my first two years here until Coach Bird fired me. And it was two of the most fun, incredible years of my entire life getting to play with these guys, with Reggie and Jack and Chris and the Davis boys, come on, Rik Smits. It just doesn't get any better — to do that here in Indianapolis is special to me. This is where I met my wife and we started our life. It's a really special city to me.”
Kentucky assistant coach Alvin Brooks was on Scott Drew’s staff when Baylor defeated Gonzaga 86-70 at Lucas Oil Stadium to win the NCAA title in 2021.
“Alvin Brooks loves this building like no place on the planet because he hoisted a trophy here,” Pope said. “I think it's a really special venue.”
RCA DOME MEMORIES
While at Kentucky, Pope and the Wildcats played two games at the RCA Dome, defeating Indiana 89-82 in 1995 and Clemson 79-72 in 1996. The venue was demolished in 2008.
“I have such beautiful memories of Kentucky-Indiana in the RCA Dome and looking up in the arena and seeing the aisleway where it was split, where it was all blue-white all across the arena on one side and all red and white on the other side of the stadium,” he said.
The two programs will renew their rivalry next season in a four-year home-and-home series set to begin on Dec. 20 at Rupp Arena.
“I love everything about it,” Pope said. “I think these rivalries are really special in college basketball. I think this rivalry has incredible history. I think it's great for college basketball. There's nothing about it that's not great. I'm really excited about it.”
WEETABIX CRAZE
Amari Williams’ love for Weetabix made the Kentucky forward a social media star this week. Because of Williams’ love for the breakfast cereal, sales on Amazon have skyrocketed this week.
As it turns out, Williams isn’t the only Kentucky player who eats Weetabix. Otega Oweh also has a taste for Weetabix.
“I warm my milk, just throw it in there,” Oweh said. “It's like wheat, but I drink it. It's got sugar, so it's really sweet.”
IT JUST MEANS MORE
The Southeastern Conference made history with 14 teams receiving invites to the NCAA Tournament. The league is down to seven teams – Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Ole Miss and Florida with the possibility of four teams making the Final Four.
“It's just been a magical, brutal, beautiful year in the SEC,” Pope said. “We'll still see how that pans out as we move forward. But you want to be in the most competitive league. There's no doubt. I mean, it's really remarkable what this league has been. And it's been a blessing to all of us. It's been painful for all of us, too. That's what you want.”
Gametracker: Kentucky vs. Tennessee, 6:40 p.m.CDT, Friday at Indianapolis. TV/Radio: TBS, UK Radio Network - SuperTalk 94.3 WKYX, WiLLiE 102.
Kentucky coach Mark Pope watches his team during a practice session Thursday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (Keith Taylor/Kentucky Today)
