Pope, the Pac-10 Player of the Year in 1991-92, left UW after coach Lynn Nance didn’t get a new contract. His road since then has been diverse, from an NCAA title to the NBA to medical school. Now, he’s the first-year head coach at Utah Valley, which plays Seattle U on Saturday.
Mark Pope is a Hall of Famer in the art of self-deprecation.
He defines his role on the star-laden 1996 Kentucky national championship team as “getting everyone water as soon as I could.” He routinely calls himself one of the worst players in NBA history — though his career lasted parts of six seasons with three teams.