Last week, the Kentucky Basketball team had an offseason retreat where they did a variety of team-bonding activities, including time at the lake, building a pavilion together, and much more.
UK Athletics released a behind-the-scenes vlog-style video recapping some of the time the guys had together, and towards the end, Mark Pope shared a message with the team that Big Blue Nation will always love to hear.
“The back of the jersey is incredibly important; it’s your family’s freaking name. But you guys all have Kentucky across your chest. It’s not a mistake. It’s not a gift; you earned it. You belong here,” Pope stated.
“We’re not thinking about the guys that wore this jersey before, and we are not guests here. This is ours. It’s yours! And we are Kentucky Basketball.”
In the current world of college basketball, you don’t really get to hear messages like this much, but Pope continues to pour into these guys and let them know what this is all about when you play for Kentucky. He has referred to it as the “sacred cloth” and will forever tell people how special this place is, because he has truly seen it from all angles, as a player, as a coach, and as a fan.
This is truly where Pope thrives: when he gets to talk about how important this place is and how impactful it has been in his life.
Below is the video that they released recapping the team’s time spent together off the court!