Mark Pope's Intro Presser

Yo BBN… what a difference a few days makes huh? Last time I shouted you out, most of you were mid-meltdown because of the Mark Pope hire. And I was trying to tell you to reconsider and embrace one of your own and focus on all the good things Pope brings rather than what he might lack in resume points. 

Apparently, you guys were listening to me on Friday. Because damn did the BBN’s tune change quickly. And look, I understand why they were upset. The BBN being furious at how the coaching search went down wasn’t surprising or hard to understand.

The BBN didn’t run Cal to get Mutomboed by the coaches at Alabama and Baylor before falling back on the BYU coach. They didn’t run a guy because he doesn’t win enough tournament games for a dude who’s never won a single tournament game. That’s not what the BBN was thinking when they got their pitchforks and torches out and chased Cal and his dog stroller out of Lexington. 

So I totally get why it took them a second to process Mark Pope. And why it took them a minute to come around to the idea. My point was that Mark Pope is actually pretty promising, for a bunch of reasons, even if he wasn't the ideal candidate anyone had in mind two weeks ago. There's still plenty to like about the dude, the top thing being, he’s one of you, BBN. And damn did he hammer that point home at his intro in Lex Vegas yesterday.

I was all the way out here in So Cal watching on a TV so I can’t know for sure, but the vibes looked outrageously epic in Rupp Arena yesterday. When Pope pulled up in that bus and then the entire ‘96 championship squad rolled out of that bus with Pope bringing up the rear, holding up the trophy… that was legendary. That was all time intro presser gold.

And I know, winning the intro presser is gonna be long forgotten if the dude can’t win in March. But the thing is, being able to take that Rupp Arena stage and put on a show like that and get the BBN whipped into that kind of mouth-foaming frenzy… that’s also part of the job. And it's not an easy part of the job. But it is important.

You need to be able to harness the energy and the power of the Big Blue Nation if you’re actually gonna effectively lead the Big Blue Nation. You need to be able to direct that tidal wave of passion and energy and emotion or that wave will just end up crashing down on your head and washing you right out of the gig.

Mark Pope showed Lexington yesterday that he understands the assignment. And that’s big, because it’s a huge assignment. You have to lead the BBN and you have to win. And not just win, but win natty’s. Win championships. Hang banners.

It’s an assignment that is unlike any other in college sports, which is why it takes someone who gets it. And this dude clearly gets it. And you don’t even have to take that from me, take it from him.

Look, this job is way bigger than just saying and doing all the right things on Day 1, obviously. But my dude Mark Pope did and said all the right things on Day 1. And I just want to give you a shoutout BBN for showing that kind of love and passion and energy even though you’re disappointed. Props to the BBN for taking my advice and embracing one of your own.

Not that you really had a choice. But then again, you also didn’t have to pack the arena for a press conference. There were people lined up all day to get in who never did get in. There were people who were posting on X about getting the chills and crying watching the ‘96 team get off that bus. The whole scene was epic. The whole scene was the best of the BBN.

Yes, we’ve seen the worst of the BBN at times over the last month, but that’s also why it was so great to see the real deal yesterday. And no, they should not immediately go back into panic mode because there was some bad news this morning. 

It’s true that one of Cal’s five stars, Boogie Fland decommitted from Kentucky this morning and will re-open his recruitment. It’s not the best news. But it’s also not surprising news. In fact, what would be surprising is if Pope actually managed to keep any of Cal’s dudes in Lexington. 

Nobody said this was gonna be easy for Mark Pope. And he’s gonna have to rebuild a roster that works for his offense and his style and his vibe. And it might take a minute. And it might not be a straight line to success. But the dude understands the assignment and he understands the BBN and he's gonna attack this thing as hard as he possibly can. And that's what I was saying from the very beginning when I said give this guy a chance. So well done listening to me Big Blue Nation, felt great to not be so miserable for a day, right? YOU'RE WELCOME.