Pope literally came to Kentucky with no returning players or coaches. He has managed to guide the Wildcats to an 18-8 record with an entirely new roster, while overcoming injuries to key players throughout the season.
Here’s a look at the coaches that did make the list (by the way, Pope has wins over Kelsey, Scheyer and Golden):
The 15 names on the Naismith Midseason Coach of the Year Watch List:
Greg Gard
Dennis Gates
Todd Golden
Penny Hardaway
Tom Izzo
Pat Kelsey
Dusty May
Grant McCasland
Ben McCollum
Matt Painter
Bruce Pearl
Rick Pitino
Richard Pitino
Kelvin Sampson
Jon Scheyer— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) February 21, 2025