Bringing back former UK basketball captain Mark Pope to coach his alma mater’s program was one of Mitch Barnhart’s most well-known appointments as Kentucky’s athletic director.
Pope showered his employer with honors on Tuesday night during a 95-86 loss to Texas A&M. Earlier in the day, UK announced that his boss would retire this summer.
“He’s got an unbelievable legacy. He’s left an incredible legacy on college sports. A lot of athletic directors make an impact on some sports at their school, maybe their school,” Pope said when asked by the Herald-Leader about Barnhart’s decision. “As the story of Mitch Barnhart is told, he’s made an unbelievable impact, not just on athletics at Kentucky, but also on the entire campus, on the development of the campus. Where Kentucky is today, he’s had his fingerprints over everything good that’s happened in college athletics over the last 25 years, in the position as athletic director and as a leading, tenured voice in the country for athletic departments”
“He will guide us back to our heart, through all of the changes in college sports,” Barnhart stated as UK announced Pope as their basketball coach during a boisterous news conference and celebration at Rupp Arena. He is aware of the DNA that guides us to our destination. He claims that this altered his life’s course. We are thrilled that he is doing this for our guys and our program.
Pope captained the 1996 NCAA championship team while playing at UK under Rick Pitino from 1994 to 1996.
“He’ll be sorely missed,” Pope said Tuesday of Barnhart. “But his influence is going to continue to be felt. He’ll still be, in some ways, a more active advocate for the new direction of college athletics. He’s just changing positions; he’s not stepping away from his stewardship of college athletics.”
Barnhart will continue to work for Kentucky in a different role. Barnhart will be the first executive in residence of a new UK Sport and Workforce Initiative, according to a Tuesday announcement by UK President Eli Capilouto. In July, Barnhart was able to move into an ambassador position for the institution thanks to his most recent contract. Kentucky:
Pope is one of three UK head coaches whose contracts with the school are impacted by Barnhart’s impending retirement, along with Kenny Brooks of women’s basketball and Nick Mingione of baseball.
Pope would be required to pay Kentucky 33% of the prorated income he would have gotten throughout the remainder of his contract if he were to leave the UK without cause while Barnhart was the AD. Pope would only have to give the UK 20% of that prorated salary if Barnhart hadn’t been appointed athletic director.
Pope’s agreement with the UK expires in March 2030. After leading Kentucky to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 the previous year, he was granted a one-year contract extension.
In a social media post on Tuesday afternoon, Pope’s predecessor, John Calipari, who led Kentucky to the 2012 NCAA championship as head coach from 2009 to 2024 and whom Barnhart also hired, addressed Barnhart’s retirement plans, stating that although the two “didn’t always see eye to eye,” Barnhart did “a good job.”
