Kentucky assistant coach Jason Hart didn’t care much for head coach Mark Pope the first time he seen him.
Hart was committed to Syracuse as a high school senior while Pope was a key player at Kentucky. During the 1996 national title game, Pope drilled some late free throws to help the Wildcats win the national championship.
“The first time I seen Coach Pope, I didn’t like him,” Hart said with a smile during an interview on BBN Tonight. “I was at home my senior year and they was beating my college, Syracuse, in the national championship. He made those free throws.”
Hart and Pope ended up playing on the same together for a season in the NBA.
“When I went to training camp, there was a guy named Mark that I didn’t…I didn’t register the face from the championship game,” Hart said. “As the training camp went on, I got to know him. Really nice guy, everybody loved him. Brought energy every day, joy to be around, and he became, like, our fan favorite.”
