PROVO — Will a Pope become the next head coach of BYU basketball?
Utah Valley University coach Mark Pope, 46, is a leading candidate to take over the job for Dave Rose, who is expected to step down Tuesday.
It makes a lot of sense, of course. Pope spent four seasons as Rose’s top assistant from 2011-2015 before taking over at UVU. He arrived in Provo the year after Jimmermania and the Cougars’ first Sweet 16 appearance in 30 seasons and replaced Dave Rice. With Pope on the bench, BYU went to three NCAA Tournaments and had a run to the NIT semifinals.