Mark Pope certainly wasn't the best fit for a Kentucky program that needed to hire a home run coach after John Calipari's unexpected move to Arkansas.
However, weeks into his tenure, the former national champion Wildcats managed to court the fan base, attract big NIL checks from deep-pocketed boosters and build a roster that should make Kentucky competitive in the SEC again in the first season of the show after Calipari in 15 years. years.
Pope was the last major domino of the 2024-25 men's college basketball coaching hiring cycle that began before the season even ended. We thought Louisville and Michigan were the biggest jobs on the carousel when they opened during the NCAA tournament.
SMU then fired Rob Lanier and hired USC's Andy Enfield, whose place was in turn taken by the Razorbacks' Eric Musselman, opening that opportunity for Calipari.
As it currently stands, 65 Division I men's basketball programs will have new coaches on the sidelines in November. Some of those hires seemed to be a good fit; others seemed not so much.
How do the changes from the major programs compare? We've decided to give each program two grades: one for when the hiring was announced and a second for what the decision looks like now.
Before the transfer portal's entry window closed on May 1, when most of the nearly 2,000 players in it were still uncommitted, it seemed unfair to grade a recruiting decision when rosters were in flux. Now, many of the top players are committed, so we have a better idea of what these new coaches have been able to accomplish in their new positions.
Here are our grades of all major program coaching hires for 2024-25.
Advantages: Calipari, who replaced Eric Musselman, is a Hall of Fame coach with a national title under his belt and a reputation as a stellar recruiter. That has already helped him at Arkansas, where he attracted former Kentucky commit Boogie Fland and Florida Atlantic transfer Johnell Davis as part of a strong class in Calipari's first season in Fayetteville.
Cons: Despite having access to multiple future NBA prospects over the past decade, Calipari failed to lead Kentucky to the Final Four after 2015 and lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament in two of the last three seasons. That's a long streak of underperformance. Sure, the name is strong. But it's also fair to wonder if Arkansas will have a once-great coach now past his prime.
Initial grade: TO
