Pitino and Pope Reunite: St. John’s and Kentucky Set for Epic Home-and-Home Showdown
KY — LEXINGTON Perhaps it would be a good idea to bring back Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino while we are celebrating Kentucky’s homecoming? Looks like that must-see comeback is finally here, if only for a day.
One of the numerous thunderous applauses Mark Pope, the coach of the Wildcats since 1996, received from the crowded Rupp Arena audience during his inaugural press conference on Sunday occurred when he said this: “Anybody here down for a game versus St. John’s?”
Pitino, who recently concluded his debut campaign as head coach of St. John’s, accepted the invitation on social media on Monday.
I recently watched snippets from our captain’s news conference, wow. Not stunned, but delightfully taken aback. Nothing less from @CoachMarkPope would be expected. Additionally, @StJohnsBBall gets accepted for the Mecca next year and the UK this year! Anticipating said farewell to @KentuckyMBB.
— Rick Pitino (@RealPitino) April 15, 2024
“This year at UK, next year at the Mecca!” Pitino wrote, referring to Madison Square Garden in New York as the site of the return game. Pitino continued that he was “looking forward to saying goodbye” wherever he is constantly referred to as Camelot. Reuniting Pitino with Rupp might offer a sense of closure to the coach and the fan base, which has had mixed feelings toward him since he left Kentucky for the NBA and then came back to lead rival Louisville.
Does that imply that the series is set to go ahead? Most likely, assuming Pope has that in mind. On Sunday, he also mentioned the possibility of going back to the Maui Invitational, a cherished early-season competition that his predecessor John Calipari has declined to participate in since 2010.
“If that’s something he wants to do, that’s fine,” athletic director Mitch Barnhart said. “If it’s something that helps in recruiting, if it’s something he thinks is good for our program, then this is his program. He’s gotta design it. Cal designed it his way, and now Mark is in the chair and he gets to design it his way. And if that’s something he says, ‘I want to do,’ then we’ll support that and figure it out.”
Pope clearly values bringing his former coach home to heal old wounds and receive recognition for bringing a team that was on the verge of extinction in the early 1990s.
“Coach Pitino changed me,” he said Sunday. “And I will tell you, like, he changed me to my soul, changed my DNA as a human being. He allowed me to be someone who feels like they can walk into any room and take on any impossible task. And I will love him forever. So I say (let’s play) St. John’s because I have so much admiration for him. He is the best that did it.”
(Photo: Clare Grant / Courier Journal / USA Today)