Now that all of the Wildcats have arrived in town, and Monday is the first practice under Mark Pope’s tenure, the revamped Kentucky basketball team got together over the weekend for a non-game-related event. Club Blue, a NIL group linked with UK Athletics, hosted its inaugural subscription event at Alltech Arena on Saturday afternoon. The event gave men’s basketball program donors a chance to meet head coach Greg Pope and the players who will compete for the squad in 2024–25.
“This roster, I think, is one of the special rosters in the entire country,” Pope addressed the gathering. “… However, without you, these men would not be here. We make no bones about how often we discuss this. You can tell that Kentucky isn’t my squad. We don’t even consider it our players’ team. Our entire crew consists of this. You will hear me say it again and again: The roster would not have been possible without your help. That means the world to us.
We are really anticipating the opportunity to demonstrate the return on investment once we take the court. Thank you so much. Although Pope’s first game in charge of the Wildcats won’t be until November, Monday will be the first practice of the summer session, giving fans a sneak peak at the squad he may assemble for his first season in the UK. On Monday, the new players will be able to practice for four hours a week for eight weeks. Pope is excited to watch them play together for the first time; they have been arriving in Lexington for the previous several weeks.
The last Wildcat to touch down on campus was Amari Williams, who graduated from Drexel University last weekend. He was the first to come to the UK after Pope got the job in April. Attendees at Saturday’s Club Blue “New Era” event could only be those who have paid for a NIL plan. Free food, games, and freebies were available all day long, and the celebrations included a 30-minute Q&A with Pope as well as a meet-and-greet with almost every player on the 2024-25 team. Pope spent the afternoon signing autographs and then came back to the platform for one last Q&A with the audience. For Club Blue members, the New Era party will likely be the beginning of a series of similar gatherings.
The core of our efforts is around Club Blue, according to Pope. Plus, we’re working with fantastic individuals at Club Blue who are laying the groundwork for us to maintain our dominant position in this market. What college athletics has evolved into is very lovely, though. Because there is a genuine way that each of us may contribute to this. Also, we should all really feel like we’re a part of this. Even more so, no one does it better than Kentucky. There isn’t another fan base out there that is as dedicated, enthusiastic, and purposeful as ours. Coach Mark Pope welcomed the 2024–25 United Kingdom men’s basketball team to Saturday’s Club Blue NIL event at Lexington’s Alltech Arena.
Send an email to Tasha Poullard at [email protected]. PLAYERS FROM THE UK MEET The United Kingdom players were dispersed throughout the arena while Pope spoke to one group of fans, while others waited in line to get their pictures taken with the new Wildcats. Ten scholarship players were a part of the group, with the exception of Kerr Kriisa and Williams, two international players who were not allowed to compete because of different NIL regulations for foreign players. The other two men, walk-ons Grant Darbyshire and Walker Horn, were the only players from John Calipari’s last UK squad who returned for this event.
Learn more about this story at: https://www.kentucky.com/sports/college/kentucky-sports/uk-basketball-men/article289215959.html#storylink=cpy.
