Moraga, Calif. • Often when a team has a coaching change, it sees a dip in offensive production, sometimes even needing a season or two to adjust to the new coach and system.
Mark Pope was named the new men’s basketball coach last April after Dave Rose announced his retirement. Rose led the Cougars for 14 years. After inheriting a 9-21 team, Rose immediately posted a 20-9 record — the first of 11 straight 20-win seasons.
Now, Pope has taken over right where Rose left off, not even missing a beat. The Cougars are making their first West Coast Conference road trip to play at Saint Mary’s Thursday having won their last six games.