Mark Pope shares takeaways from Kentucky Basketball scrimmage vs. La Familia

Kentucky’s summer practices offer valuable reps, leadership growth, and lessons for the season ahead.

The first UK HealthCare Practice Report of the summer is in the books, and Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope had plenty to reflect on following his team’s closed scrimmage against La Familia, which is a veteran squad featuring former Wildcats preparing for The Basketball Tournament (TBT).

With 19 total practices scheduled this offseason, Pope is emphasizing development over results, especially when it comes to decision-making.

“We get so much out of this because we’re a decision-making team,” Pope told Cameron Mills. “It takes longer to teach decision-making than it does to teach sets and plays. And we do it both offensively and defensively, and kind of look like we’re trying to read the second and third lines. It’s about reps. The guys are learning how to see and understand decisions. That communication is vital. We rely so much on our talking, and being in the gym together helps us build that trust.”

Getting live reps against an external opponent is something Pope doesn’t take for granted.

“We spent time going up against smart, high-IQ, physical bodies — guys who are veterans,” he said. “Getting to face someone other than ourselves, seeing a different style of defense, different concepts, guarding different skillsets — that’s huge. I’d have La Familia in the gym every week if I could. Not just for competition, but to connect our guys to the players who built this program.”

As for what he saw from his team?

“We battled through discomfort and some frustration, and some leadership emerged,” Pope tells Cameron Mills. “As you get to see a little bit of resiliency, you get to feel where some funds of energy are in that situation.”

Pope compared this summer’s approach to last year’s, where his staff was focused heavily on preparing a brand-new roster for early-season games.

“Last year, we started with an entirely new roster,” Pope says. “We started very much game prep, game prep, game prep, and so we were further along in terms of being prepared to play in a scrimmage last year. This year, we’ve spent way more time on our 100% concepts, and so we are a little bit behind in our terms game-ready implementation.”

He also acknowledged the learning curve for both players and staff.

“There’s room for me to grow, too. These guys have unique skillsets, and so there is going to be a process for us to figure out how to unleash their greatest talents and kind of incorporate them into what we do,” Pope says. “So there’s a great opportunity for me to learn the guys and for the guys to learn how we play.”

With more practices to come and a talented roster still taking shape, Pope’s Wildcats are laying the foundation now, with plenty of teaching, trial, and trust.