Early coaching jobs In 2006, Pope enrolled in
medical school at
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in
New York City. In 2009, he left medical school and joined
Mark Fox's coaching staff at the
University of Georgia as director of basketball operations for the 2009–10 season. Fox was an assistant coach when both were at Washington. The following season (2010–11), Pope moved to
Wake Forest to serve as an assistant under
Jeff Bzdelik. From 2011 to 2015, Pope was an assistant under
Dave Rose at BYU. In four years, Pope helped the Cougars to four straight 20-win seasons and four straight postseason appearances, including three NCAA Tournament bids and a trip to the semifinals of the 2013 NIT.
Utah Valley (2015–2019) In 2015, Pope was hired as the head coach at
Utah Valley University (UVU). In four years at UVU (2015–19), Pope's teams made improvements each season, going from 12 wins in 2015–16 to 25 in 2018–19. He also led the Wolverines to three-straight postseason appearances (2017, 2018, 2019) and back-to-back 20-win seasons (2017–18, 2018–19).
BYU (2019–2024) On April 10, 2019, Pope was hired to replace Dave Rose as BYU's 19th men's basketball head coach, after Rose's retirement. In his first season, Pope led the Cougars to a 24–8 record, the most wins for a first-year coach in program history. He became just the second first-year BYU coach to lead his team into the top 25 and the first to end his debut season ranked. The Cougars entered the top 25 as No. 23 in the AP Poll on Feb. 17 and jumped to as high as No. 14. In league play, Pope guided the Cougars to a record of 13–3, second in the
West Coast Conference (WCC). The 13 wins – which included a 91–78 victory over No. 2
Gonzaga in the
Marriott Center – were tied for the most by BYU during their time in the WCC. Gonzaga was the highest-ranked team BYU has defeated in the history of the Marriott Center. The Cougars finished the regular season on a nine-game win streak, the team's longest win streak in WCC play. BYU boasted one of the most efficient offenses in the nation in 2019–20, evidenced by top 5 national rankings in several statistical categories. The team was projected to be a lock for an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament, which would have been their first berth since 2015. However, the
COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the tournament and prematurely ended the successful season. BYU ended the season at No. 18 in the AP Poll and No. 16 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Pope's early success with the Cougars continued in 2020–21. BYU finished 10–3 in WCC play. The team reached the finals of the
WCC Tournament, losing to Gonzaga, 88–78, in the championship. The team received an at-large bid for the
NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015. They were defeated in the first round by
UCLA, 73–62. On January 20, 2022, BYU defeated San Diego 79–71, which marked Pope's 60th career win at BYU and made him the fastest BYU head coach ever to reach that benchmark. The win also gave the Cougars a 16–4 record for the season, which was Pope's best start through 20 games as head coach. Pope and the Cougars went 24–11 in
2021–22 and ended their season in the quarterfinals of the
NIT. During 2022–23, BYU failed to reach 20 wins for the first time in Pope's tenure as head coach, going 19–15 overall and 7–9 in-conference for the Cougars' final season as a member of the WCC. The Cougars failed to reach the postseason for the first time since 2019. On July 1, 2023, BYU became a member of the Big 12 Conference, with Pope coaching the Cougars in their first-ever season as part of a major conference in
2023–24. BYU posted a 22–9 regular season record and a 10–8 record in Big 12 play during the 2023–24 season. The Cougars advanced to the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament, where they were defeated by
Texas Tech. They received a bid to the
NCAA Tournament as a 6-seed and lost to Duquesne in the Round of 64.
Kentucky (2024–present) On April 12, 2024, Pope was hired to become the 23rd men's basketball head coach at Kentucky, replacing
John Calipari. Pope's coaching debut at Kentucky was a 103–62 win against
Wright State University. The score received some media attention for being a 41-point win, as #41 was the number of Pope when he was a player at Kentucky. In Pope's third game as coach, ranked #19, he faced Kentucky's long-time rival #6
Duke University in the
Champions Classic in
Atlanta, Georgia. He won 77–72 in his first win against a ranked team as head coach of UK, giving the Wildcats their first win over Duke since 2015. ==Personal life==