Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
New men's head basketball coach Mark Pope and his wife Lee Anne talk with BYU President Kevin J Worthen, after a press conference at the BYU Broadcast building in Provo on Wednesday, April 10, 2019.
In the absence of a clandestine enclave for an initial secret meeting with BYU officials about taking over its basketball program, Mark Pope found himself in the guts of the giant Marriott Center looking at history and listening to a pair of spirited pitchmen in late March.
There, under the retired jerseys of Hall of Famer Kresimir Cosic and Naismith players of the year Danny Ainge and Jimmer Fredette, his attention was drawn to the banners of conference championships and names of legendary All-Americans.