Arkansas' Calipari says Kentucky made right choice with Pope - ESPN

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — As he prepares for his first season as Kentucky men's basketball coach, Mark Pope will have a fan from afar: John Calipari.

Calipari, who left Kentucky in March for the Arkansas opening, said his former school made the «perfect» choice when it hired Pope, the captain of the Wildcats' 1995-96 squad that won a national title under Rick Pitino, as its new head coach. Calipari and Pope have had a relationship that has continued amid their recent changes.

Except for the lone meeting between Arkansas and Kentucky on Feb. 1 in Lexington, Calipari said he'll be supportive of his replacement.

«I think they hired a perfect guy for that job,» Calipari said Tuesday at SEC media day. «And part of it is because he played there, graduated from there. He has a heart for the place, and he has an idea of what that is.… It's a different place if you're just walking in. He's been there and understands it.»

When asked about his decision to leave Kentucky amid a turbulent finish that included two first-round exits in the past three NCAA tournaments, Calipari said those interested could read his past comments.

«I've talked about why I did what I did,» he said. «I've talked, so what I want to do today is talk about the SEC. This league has gotten ridiculously hard. I want to talk about my team, my roster. But I've talked about all that stuff. I mean, you can look it up and see what I've said. It's going to be me saying it over again.»

Calipari praised Pope, a sentiment the former BYU coach had echoed earlier in the day about Calipari.

«He's a Hall of Fame coach, as a die-hard Kentucky fan and a player,» Pope said. «I'm grateful for everything he's done for our university. He's also been a good friend. He is a terrific mentor.