LEXINGTON, Ky. (WDRB) — Entering Rupp Arena with a police escort on a bus with more than 40 former University of Kentucky basketball players, Mark Pope took control of the Wildcats' men's program with a flourish Sunday afternoon.

Surrounded by Derek Anderson, Tony Delk, Jeff Sheppard, Cameron Mills, Jared Prickett and other teammates from his three seasons with the Wildcats, Pope exited the bus holding the 1996 NCAA championship trophy that he helped win over his head.

IMAGES | Mark Pope’s introductory news conference inside a packed Rupp Arena

"The Captain is now the coach," UK radio voice Tom Leach said.

Standing next to athletic director Mitch Barnhart, Pope beamed and nodded his head before Barnhart handed him a No. 23 jersey. Pope later brought out the No. 41 jersey he wore as a Kentucky player

"It's time for us to find our way back," Barnhart said. "To do that you need a guy who understands the journey ... and the heart of this special place."

"I understand the assignment," Pope said. "We are here to win banners ... That's our job."

If you were tempted to view that as Pope signaling a change from the way that John Calipari ran the UK program for the last 15 seasons, Pope gave you more. He said he was also interested in taking the Wildcats to Hawaii to play in the Maui Invitational, an event Calipari did not favor.

He said he was interested in scheduling a game against St. John's, which is coached by his former UK head coach Rick Pitino, a man who famously quarreled with Calipari. And Pope talked about players who "are not letting letting the jerseys do them a favor by letting them cloth them."

A crowd estimated at more than 15,000 people started lining up before noon to enter the building, even though the doors did not swing open until 3:30 p.m., an hour before the program began. In fact the start of the event was delayed nearly 10 minutes so more fans could enter the building.

Pope, 51, worked out the 5-year agreement worth $5.5 million per season, with Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart, who started the search for a replacement for John Calipari early last week by talking to Baylor coach Scott Drew and gauging the interest of UConn coach Danny Hurley as well as Billy Donovan, coach the the Chicago Bulls.

After Drew chose to stay in Texas and on at least three occasions Hurley said he had no interest in the job, Barnhart pivoted quickly to Pope, whose credentials were solid as a coach and former Wildcat.

"We've seen introductory press conferences like this all the time," Pope said. "Nobody in the country has ever seen anything like this."

How quickly did Pope accept the job when it was offered by Barnhart?

"He knew I was going to say, 'Yes,' before he even finished asking the question," Pope said.

"This is a gentleman who loves Kentucky basketball as much as you do," Barnhart said. "He wants It to win as much as you do."

Pope arrived in Lexington from Provo, Utah on Saturday and quickly worked to connect with UK fans, including a group that have expressed disappointment that Kentucky did not hire a coach with sexier credentials, like Calipari, who had been to a pair of Final Fours before he came to Kentucky in 2009.

Pope recorded a message that was sent to the phones of UK students, asking for their support.

“UK students, this is your new head mens’ basketball coach, Mark Pope,” the message began.

“I’m a proud alumnus. I love this school to the depths of my soul. I’m Class of ‘96, so I’m way older than your parents and grandparents. This place changed my life and I’m honored to be here and lead this program. I can’t wait to get around the campus to meet you. Your energy will matter to his team. Help us out! Let’s go!”

The media credentials Kentucky issued for the event featured two pictures of Pope -- one current and the other from 1996, when he wore a backwards baseball cap and hosted the 1996 NCAA championship trophy over his head with his left arm.

"A new era begins," was the postscript.

In two seasons as a Kentucky player, Pope started for UK teams coached by Rick Pitino that made the Elite Eight in 1995 and then won that NCAA title over Syracuse in 1996. Pitino publicly endorsed Pope’s hiring by posting a video of more than two minutes, extolling Pope as an inspired choice.

In nine seasons as a head coach, Pope coached Utah Valley State (twice) and Brigham Young (four times) to six seasons with 20 or more victories. Two of Pope’s BYU teams made the NCAA Tournament. Both lost in the first round, including the 2024 squad. This Cougar team, a 6-seed, was upset by Duquesne.

Despite the questions created by those two defeats, Pope drew considerable praise for leading BYU to a tie with Kansas for fifth place in the challenging Big 12 Conference this season. The Jayhawks begin the season ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll while BYU was predicted to finish 12th in the 13-team league.

"This is Kentucky's team," Pope said. "My heart is here. This is awesome."

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