The Kentucky Wildcats basketball program is undergoing a huge change this season, transitioning from one of the most storied head coaches in basketball history to now being led by a former player.

When John Calipari left for SEC rival Arkansas Razorbacks, Kentucky worked quickly to bring Mark Pope in.

Pope played for the Wildcats from 1994-1996. After a couple of stints in the NBA and a few seasons overseas, he switched to coaching in 2009.

Most recently, he was the head coach of the BYU Cougars. After putting together a couple of successful seasons with the Cougars, Kentucky felt that he was ready to take over one of the largest programs in the country.

Along with the new coach, the school also revamped their NIL collective ‘Club Blue’ back in March. They recently held an event for supporters of the collective. Pope didn’t hold back when speaking of their importance while addressing the crowd.

“The University of Kentucky has an advantage that no other university in the basketball world has, and that’s [Big Blue Nation],” said Pope to the crowd of supporters per Lexington Herald Leader’s Ben Roberts. “There’s a sense that that’s what’s going to put us over the edge. We have this groundswell of support that’s going to fit into this NIL world. And it’s going to go a long way to determine how successful we can be. And that’s why we’re so incredibly grateful for this group, guys. If you’ve spent one second wondering if you’re making a difference, please stop. You’re making all the difference.”

Recruiting has taken an understandable hit under the new regime. The last class of the Calipari era finished as the best in the country. The 2024 signing class finished No. 28 overall, mostly carried by their transfers.

Pope wasn’t able to convince any five-stars to come to Kentucky this time around, which could highlight an increasing need for NIL funding without the proven track record that the school could have previously taken advantage of.

“We can’t wait to be out on the court and show you what the return on that investment is going to be. We’re super grateful,” Pope added.

Overall, the event saw Pope speak and then gave contributors a chance to meet most of the upcoming roster.