Kentucky HC Mark Pope reveals one aspect where he is "not enough" of a coach for any recruit

Kentucky coach Mark Pope has been busy this summer preparing for his second season with the program. He recently talked about his approach to recruiting, revealing to a group of campers the one thing he avoids in potential recruits.

In a video posted on X by Certified Kentucky on Friday, Pope made it clear that fixing broken shots is not something he feels equipped to handle.

“So just so you know, in my recruiting, I cannot teach players to shoot,” Pope said. “By the time they get to me, I cannot fix mechanics. I will not even try. If a player does not have solid mechanics, I will not touch them. I just cannot. I just have had no success. I am not a good enough coach to do it. “These guys, by the time they get to us, they have had hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of thousands of shots. And if they have practiced hundreds and hundreds of thousands of times with bad mechanics, then I cannot touch them. I really will not. Even a great athlete, I will not touch him if his mechanics are not OK."

Pope discussed why he doesn't spend time coaching the basics.

"I will touch a guy who is a really good player and has got solid mechanics but is not making shots yet. Because I can rep that guy out. “So in terms of shooting, I spend zero time coaching mechanics, maybe little tiny tweaks, some balance stuff or some rhythm stuff, but I am just not a good enough coach. So that puts it on you guys, and I do not think that is completely universal at the college level, but I think it is pretty common.”

Pope had an impressive run at BYU, turning the Cougars into one of the best offensive teams in college basketball. Now at Kentucky, he is focused on building a team ready to compete immediately.

Mark Pope hypes up Kentucky shooting

During his address to the campers on Friday, Mark Pope called Kentucky’s shooting the best in the country, and he revealed the reason behind it.

“We've had unbelievable success shooting the ball. It's one of the best in the country," Pope said. "And the only thing we coach — of all, we recruit guys that are mechanically sound.”

Pope took the Wildcats to the Sweet 16 in his first year with the program, achieving a 24-12 (10-8 Southeastern Conference) overall record.

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Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez