JUST ANNOUNCED: Mark Pope will be back starting at five. What do you think

That headline—“JUST ANNOUNCED: Mark Pope Will Be Back Starting at Five”—is likely either a tongue-in-cheek statement or a misinterpretation. Mark Pope, Kentucky’s head coach, is a 51-year-old former center who last played professionally over two decades ago. So if taken literally, the idea of him starting at center (“the five”) is implausible.

However, if the statement is figurative or symbolic, there are a few ways to interpret it in a serious basketball context:

“Starting at five” may be a metaphorical way to say Pope is central (like a center) to the program’s success and is returning in a commanding role—perhaps doubling down on recruiting, player development, and defining the team’s identity, especially post-transfer portal success.

In that sense, Pope is:

• Anchoring the program, like a center anchors the defense
• Commanding the system from within, rather than watching from the sideline
• Taking personal responsibility for shaping Kentucky’s identity, possibly stepping more into the spotlight as the face of the program

This could also be a joke among fans or commentators poking fun at Kentucky’s current roster situation. Maybe:

• There’s concern about the lack of a traditional center, and fans are sarcastically saying, “Might as well let Pope start at the five.”
• Or perhaps after so many transfers and changes, the idea is that the coach himself needs to suit up because of all the roster turnover.

This aligns with the sometimes chaotic feel of the transfer portal era, where rosters can be rebuilt overnight, and fan reactions range from thrilled to panicked.

Let’s play along with the idea of Pope literally suiting up.

• He’s 6-foot-10, so he certainly has the size.
• He won a national championship with Kentucky in 1996.
• He played six seasons in the NBA and has deep knowledge of the game.

But physically, it’s not possible in today’s NCAA structure. Coaches can’t rejoin rosters as players, and Pope hasn’t been a competitive athlete in over 20 years. So it’s an amusing “what if,” but nothing more.

If this statement is being passed around seriously or satirically, it reflects:

• The high expectations and scrutiny around Kentucky basketball
• How central Pope is becoming to the program’s identity
• A possible concern about roster construction—particularly in the frontcourt

Either way, Mark Pope is not starting at center—but he is clearly taking charge of Kentucky’s new era in bold, aggressive ways, especially via the transfer portal and elite recruiting outreach.