"I think Mark is up to any challenge," said former Wildcat Jeff Sheppard, Pope's roommate at UK. "I don’t think he would back away from coaching at Kentucky, coaching in the NBA, coaching any major program. Mark’s also a guy that is very loyal, so I could see him passing on opportunities to coach at different places as well."

Pope's former Kentucky teammates Tony Delk and Cameron Mills shared similar sentiments: Pope could definitely handle the job, but there are more considerations than finding the largest paycheck.